Wind Fans Cornfield Fire West of St. Charles

A device used to cut down cornfield stubble malfunctioned Sunday afternoon, spewing burning lubricant in an arc around the field at Dean Street and Burr Road, where flames were fanned by the day’s wind.

No one was injured in the 12:49 p.m. blaze, but the wind and the corn stubble — the remnants of corn stalks that are left after the harvest — made it a stubborn fire to combat, said Fire Chief Greg Benson of the Fox River & Countryside Fire/Rescue District.

The field is leased by a farmer who was out cutting down the corn stubble, which stands about a foot high, when the cutting device overheated. “It started the lubricant on fire, and the device was spraying the burning lubricant in an arc” onto the corn stubble and other debris in the field, Benson said. “The farmer didn’t notice until he smelled the smoke.”

The fire eventually burned about three acres of land in a field that is about five acres, Benson said. The corn stubble is like tinder, especially in dry conditions such as those the area is experiencing now. Each time the wind picked up, he said, embers in the corn stubble would light up.

“That made it a difficult fire,” he said. “There were rows and rows of corn stubble out there.”

He estimated that firefighters fought the flames for an hour, although crews did not clear the scene until about 3 p.m.

Dry Conditions Demand Care with Fire

Benson said conditions are very dry right now in the Tri-Cities area. While Sunday’s blaze was not the result of an intentional fire, Benson said it serves as a reminder to be careful, particularly since it is fall, a time of year when some residents in rural areas will burn their leaves.

“It’s still very dry out there and people need to follow the open burning regulations,” when burning leaves and other yard waste.

• Related: Kane County burning regulations

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