Combines Spark Grass Fires

“This was the call we’ve been waiting for.” So said Assistant Rural Fire Chief Judd Stewart. At approximately 4:10 p.m., Tuesday, October 11, 2022, Fairbury Rural Fire was dispatched to the scene of a grass fire near the intersection of 712 Avenue and 572nd Road, east of Fairbury. Earlier that day, the U.S. National Weather Service issued a fire weather watch for much of the area, with dry vegetation, low relative humidity values and strong winds more than 45 miles per hours creating ideal factors for fires to start and quickly get out of control.Firefighters were on scene quickly and a rough estimate of the damage is approximately five acres. No buildings were damaged and no injuries reported.Judd indicated the cause of the fire was a mechanical failure in a combine, which sparked nearby vegetation. While little in the way of flames were evident, thick smoke from smoldering grass and high winds often reduced visibility to near zero. The fire alert continued throughout the week and on Thursday, October 14, at approximately 4:40 p.m., firefighters were called to another grass fire, this one on Highway 8, just north o Thompson.Wind gusts of more that 60 miles per hour reduced visibility not just for firefighters but for drivers as well, as smoke drifted across the highway and black ash fell on passing vehicles. Again, mechanical failure in a combine was the cause and the blaze resulted in an estimated five to seven acres of damage.High fire danger conditions are expected to continue for the foreseeable future.

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