10 acres burn near McHenry in brush fire near high-voltage lines

About 10 acres of land were burned in a brush fire overnight near McHenry.

The Nunda Rural Fire Protection District was called out to the 2000 block of Davis Avenue for “a reported brush fire near high-voltage transmission lines” just before 1:30 a.m. Tuesday, Nunda Rural Fire Protection District Public Information Officer Alex Vucha said.

[ See more photos of firefighters battling brush blaze near McHenry ]

Vucha said multiple 911 callers reported seeing flames stretching 20 feet into the air, rapidly spreading across a field and encroaching on homes in a neighborhood west of the Fox River in the Holiday Hills and Burtons Bridge areas and south of McHenry.

Firefighters arrived to find at least five acres of prairie land actively burning and the blaze spreading quickly toward the power lines to the north. The fire reached denser vegetation and cattails and intensified, which prompted a second-alarm response from the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System, Vucha said. Additional personnel, water resources, and off-road firefighting vehicles were brought in to help contain the fire, Vucha said.

Fire crews were able to contain and extinguish the fire and brought it under control by 2:45 a.m.

The fire “ultimately consumed a 150-by-3,000-foot stretch of land between Wright Road and Colby Drive,” Vucha said.

Nobody was hurt and no structures were damaged, and ComEd was requested to the scene. The utility company is actively inspecting the power lines in the area, Vucha said.

Preliminary findings indicate the fire may have started from unattended burn piles near Wright Road and Hilline Avenue, but the Nunda Rural Fire Protection District is still investigating the cause, Vucha said.

“Unattended burn piles pose a significant fire risk, particularly in dry or windy conditions. Residents are reminded to never leave fires unattended and to fully extinguish them before leaving the area. Open burning should always be conducted with caution and in accordance with local regulations to prevent incidents like this from occurring,” Vucha said.