Over a dozen fire departments were called to extinguish a wind-fueled wildfire that burned around 60 acres of land near two Lindenhurst neighborhoods Sunday afternoon.
The Lake Villa Fire Protection District responded around 12:10 p.m. Sunday to the 1800 block of Prairie Ridge Circle in Lindenhurst for a report of a grass fire.
Firefighters arrived and reported approximately a half-acre of wildland on fire in the field east of the Nature’s Ridge and Auburn Meadows subdivisions, according to fire department radio traffic.
The wind caused the fire to spread and get larger.
Firefighters worked to stop the fire from spreading to the houses on the east side of the subdivisions.
Some residents even used their garden hoses to help crews contain the fire.
The Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) was activated to the box alarm level, bringing in brush trucks and wildland firefighters from Lake and McHenry counties.
The incident was later upgraded to the second alarm level at around 1:40 p.m. for additional fire engines and water tenders.
Lake Villa Fire Protection District Battalion Chief Kevin Johnson said at the scene that around 60 acres of wildland was burned.
The fire was brought under control in about an hour and a half, Johnson said. Firefighters spent additional time monitoring hotspots.
Johnson said that it was a challenge for firefighters to maneuver around the wet field in their all-terrain vehicles (ATV), with some ATVs getting stuck in the mud.
“It was extremely wet back there, so maneuvering around with ATVs was a bit of a challenge for us,” Johnson said.
“The wind played a big factor in how fast the fire spread for us,” Johnson added.
Approximately 15-20 fire departments from Illinois and Wisconsin responded to assist in putting out the wildfire.
No one was injured and the wildfire did not spread to any buildings, Johnson said.
A woman who lives on Clover Court told a Lake and McHenry County Scanner reporter at the scene that a motorcyclist passing by alerted her to the fire.
The woman then called 911 to report the situation.
The wind caused the fire to first spread to the east, but then it started spreading towards her house, the woman said.
The woman called 911 again to report that the fire was almost in her backyard.
Another resident said that the fire was possibly started by two juveniles near a pond east of Prairie Ridge Circle.
Many residents described feeling scared because of how close the fire got to their homes.
The field that caught on fire is owned by several entities, tax records show.
Part of the field is owned by private entities, while other parts are owned by the Nature’s Ridge Homeowners Association and the Village of Lindenhurst.
Johnson said that the cause of the fire was not yet determined. The incident remains under investigation.