A 30-40 mile per hour wind-aided field fire southeast of West Liberty got so far out of control the West Liberty Fire Department had to call in mutual aid Tuesday, 0ct. 29.
Veteran Chief Kirt Sickles said his department sent 11 fire fighters along with two pumping units, two brush trucks and a tanker truck to fight the fire at Feldman Farms, operated by Don Feldman, about three to four miles from West Liberty.
He said winds were so bad, the department had to obtain assistance from fire departments in Atalissa, Nichols and Lone Tree in order to get it under control, which took about two hours, saving an unpicked cornfield in the process.
The chief said a local farmer deserves a lot of credit as he helped the situation by disking an area to prevent the fire from spreading to the field.
“It can get out of control real fast,” Sickels said of the dry conditions presently in local farm fields. “Especially with those kind of winds.”
He said there was no determination for the cause of the fire but noted typically field fires are started from sparks from combines or a lit piece of tobacco thrown into a ditch from a passing vehicle.
The chief warned local residents to take caution with the dry conditions and asked everyone not to burn anything this time of the year because it’s simply too easy for the fire to get out of control.