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CHARLESTON, Ill. (WCIA) — Firefighters from Hutton and Ashmore spent four hours at Fox Ridge State Park overnight when a wildfire started there.
Ashmore Fire Chief Clay Berner told WCIA he and about 12 to 15 of his firefighters responded, along with the same number from Hutton, at around 9 p.m. A caller reported smelling smoke in the park and firefighters arrived to find a ravine on fire.
Berner said the fire’s cause is unknown, but he did say prevailing drought conditions played a role. Firefighters were on both sides of the ravine trying to fight the fire, in dark conditions on the sides of a steep drop-off.
He added that the wind conditions and the terrain made it difficult to fight the fire. The hills made it impossible to bring apparatuses to the spot of the park that was burning and firefighters had to rely on backpack sprayers to put water on the flames. They also tried making firebreaks with leaf blowers and handheld tools, but “swirling” winds often blew the flames in another direction.
Berner and his firefighters were on the scene until 1 a.m. The fire ultimately burned about 1/8 of a mile of the ravine, or about 15 acres.