According to a report from the Knox-Center Township Fire Department, it was dispatched to a reported field fire yesterday, April 8th.
The fire was in the area of US 35 and County Road 200 South, and Brush 10, Brush 110, Engine 10, Rescue Engine 10, and Tanker 10 all responded. The report indicates that when the first truck arrived to the area, a medium-sized vegetation fire was underway.
The fire grew quickly in both size and intensity due to factors such as dry vegetation and southern wind gusts around 20-25mph. Fire suppression efforts were further slowed down when a large pile of tires also became involved in the fire. The report from Knox Fire Department states that several nearby structures were threatened including private residences, commercial structures, and pole barns. In the end, no structures were damaged, but approximately 15-20 acres of field and wooded area were burned.
Bass Lake Fire and Hamlet Fire departments were called to assist with the fire, and crews remained on scene for over 4 hours extinguishing all fire and hot spots in the area.
Reports indicate that multiple witnesses saw someone intentionally setting the fire by lighting a pile of clothes on fire.
The Starke County Sheriff’s Office and Starke County EMS also responded to the scene.
The original report from Knox-Center Township Fire Department, including photos, can be found here.
