Over two dozen fire departments spent several hours battling a wildland fire, fueled by high winds and dry air, that burned over 150 acres on the border of Antioch and Old Mill Creek Friday afternoon.
The Antioch Fire Department initially responded around 2:30 p.m. Friday to the area of Route 45 and Route 173 in unincorporated Antioch for smoke in the area.
The Lake County Forest Preserves were not conducting any controlled burns at the time.
Antioch firefighters investigated and found a wildland fire off Crawford Road south of Route 173, which is about a mile and a quarter east of Route 45.
The Newport Township Fire Protection District responded because the fire was in their fire district, and Antioch firefighters assisted.
The fire was in a farm field and wooded area, Newport Township Fire Chief Mark Kirschhoffer said.
The majority of the fire was concentrated in the Ethel’s Woods Forest Preserve just west of Crawford Road.
The National Weather Service warned of the increased threat of outside fires Friday due to unseasonably warm temperatures, low humidity and gusty winds.
At the time, winds were blowing from the southwest at around 16 mph, with gusts of around 26 mph, further posing a challenge to firefighters.
The initial firefighters required more resources and requested a box alarm through the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS).
The box alarm brought in wildland and other firefighting equipment – like brush trucks, all-terrain vehicles, water tenders and fire engines – from approximately 25 fire departments in Lake, McHenry and Kenosha counties, Kirschhoffer said.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office, Lake County Forest Preserves Ranger Police and Lake County Forest Preserve wildland firefighters also responded to assist.
Kirschhoffer said approximately 159 acres, primarily forest preserve land, was burned, but no structures were involved.
No injuries were reported.
Firefighters continued to battle the fire and extinguish hot spots before finishing at around 6 p.m. in the evening.
The incident caused traffic delays, primarily on Route 173, during the rush-hour commute, but the roadway remained open.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.