An Ohio, Illinois, volunteer firefighter has been charged in Lee County with felony arson, accused of setting a grass fire Friday in the Green River State Wildlife Management Area that burned 700 acres.

Trent W. Schafer, 21, of Kasbeer, is charged with one count of arson, a Class 2 felony, in connection with the 5-alarm fire that firefighters from nearly a dozen departments fought throughout Friday, according to a Lee County Sheriff’s Office news release.

Lee County Dispatch was notified at 11:11 a.m. of the large grass fire. According to the release, witnesses saw a man get out of a vehicle and set some areas of grass on fire in the preserve; the witnesses were able to stop the man and detain him for law enforcement personnel, according to the release.

Lee County deputies took Schafer into custody at the scene.

The Walnut Fire Department assumed command of the incident, which quickly rose to a 5-alarm level as the weather conditions caused the flames to rapidly spread.

A special weather statement had been issued by the National Weather Service at 9:40 a.m. Friday, a warning of the elevated threat of brush and grass fire spread. The combination of warm temperatures in the low to mid-60s, relative humidity values dropping to the 25 to 35% range, and southwest winds gusting 30 to 35 mph led to an increased threat for brush and grass fire spread in the afternoon, according to the NWS.

Fire departments from Princeton, Ohio, Tampico, Amboy, Sublette, Manlius, Yorktown, Rock Falls and Dixon Rural responded to assist. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources also dispatched its own firefighting crews that specialize in wildland fires.

The fire was brought under control around 3:45 p.m., with crews still extinguishing numerous hot spots until after 5 p.m.

Additional counts of arson are pending for several other fires previously set in Lee County, according to the release. Investigators also worked with the Bureau County Sheriff’s Office, and additional arson charges will be pending in that jurisdiction, according to the release.

Arson carries a possible 3- to 7-year prison sentence upon conviction. It is also a detainable offense under the SAFE-T Act.

The Illinois State Police, Bureau County Emergency Management, CGH Ambulance, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, and the Salvation Army also assisted at the scene.