Grass fire burns several acres in northwest Allen County

ALLEN COUNTY, Ind. (WANE) - Fire crews were on the scene of a large grass fire in northwest Allen County for several hours Sunday.

Emergency officials got a call from someone driving down U.S. 33 around 4:30 p.m. Sunday. The caller reported seeing a lot of smoke.

Fire crews found the grass fire in a field near Johnson Road. Several area fire departments were called in to assist.

Johnson Road was closed for hours while crews were working the fire.

The dry conditions and wind made it hard for firefighters to contain the flames. It took them about an hour and a half to get it under control.

"It has got into some muck out there which means it will burrow into the ground and actually get underneath us and it can burrow forever. I mean it can burn for days if we don't get a handle on it now," Churubusco fire chief Chris Tomlinson said.

The crews were there for several more hours making sure those spots were put out. There were no structures near the flames, just grass and trees.

At this time, fire officials aren't sure what started the fire. They say five to ten acres were burned.

Another problem firefighters faced was the heat. They made sure to drink plenty of water and rotated crews often.

No one was hurt in the fire.