Firefighters Tackle Philo Field Blaze Causing Dense Smoke Sunday Afternoon

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PHILO, Ill. (WCIA) — A dozen agencies responded to a field fire that broke out in Philo Sunday afternoon.

Kevin Chalmers with the Philo Fire Protection District said that they got the call about the fire around noon. It happened near the intersection of County Road 300 N and County Road 1600 E. The firefighters responded, and when they were about six miles away they noticed a large plume of smoke.

After that, Chalmers said they called for their mutual aid partners to respond. They also contacted farmers who had previously volunteered to have their farming equipment at the ready to fight against field fires.

Photos courtesy of Teegan Brown

“So many assisted in one manner or another,” Chalmers said.

As the firefighters worked to control the fire and put out the hotspots, the farmers used disc plows that bury the vegetation — all that’s left is dirt, which prevents the fire from spreading.

The fire burned about 20 acres of corn stubble but no injuries were reported. Chalmers added that there was no equipment in the field when the fire started. The fire crews were able to clear the scene around 1:30 p.m.

Now, Chalmers is asking people to pay special attention to the weather forecast. Parts of Illinois have an elevated fire risk, which means that people should refrain from burning anything at this time.

The fire crews that responded included: