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Thursday fires keep firefighters busy

Photo

Photo by Dan Lassiter

Firefighter spray water on the remains of a barn at 2807 S. Nye School Road in Beloit.

Photo

Photo by Dan Lassiter

Town of Beloit Firefighters DeCarlos Nora, left, and Joe Raddatz take a break from fighting a barn fire at 2807 S. Nye School Road.

Nearly a dozen brush and grass fires blazed throughout Rock County on Thursday.

The worst was a controlled grass burn that got out of control in Beloit Township and destroyed two buildings and their contents.

Town of Beloit firefighters were dispatched shortly after 1 p.m. to 2807 S. Nye School Road. They were on scene for five hours, and a dozen other fire departments were called to help.

Property owner Ervin Rolette and his grandson were burning brush between the two buildings when the flames got away from them. The fire spread into dry grass and raced to the barn and corncrib, fire Lt. Allen Cass said.

Both buildings were destroyed along with a pickup truck, a couple tractors and a boat stored inside, Cass said. A loss estimate was not available this morning. Cass said Rolette was insured.

Burning permits are not required in Beloit Township.

"One month in the fall and spring we allow open burning from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.," Cass said.

The fire chief can issue a burning ban, but Cass didn't expect that to happen.

"We'll probably let them finish out the month of burning," he said.

Rain forecast for the weekend should lessen the probability of more grass and brush fires, Cass said.

But people planning to burn should pay attention to the weather.

"If it's windy, you probably should not burn. Stay far away enough from buildings and make sure you keep the fire under control," Cass said.

Other fires reported Thursday were:

Town of Beloit Fire Department—A brush fire at 8:42 a.m. at 1503 S. Paddock Road; a brush fire at 12:36 p.m. between two cornfields at 4743 W. Noss Road in Rock Township.

Orfordville Fire Department—Brush fire at 15521 W. Avon North Townline Road, 12:59 p.m. in Avon Township where 5 acres burned; brush fire at 2806 S. Tollefson Road, 3:57 p.m. in Spring Valley Township where a half acre burned.

Clinton Fire Department—Tree fire at Carver-Roehl County Park, 4907 S. Carvers Rock Road at 8:21 p.m. in Bradford Township. A small area burned.

Milton Fire Department—Grass fire at 11404 N. Highway 26, 9:33 a.m. in Milton Township; small brush fire in the Interstate 90/39 median in Harmony Township at 2:16 p.m.; controlled burn that got out of control at 11603 N. Highway 26, at 5:19 p.m. in Milton Township where 40 acres burned.

Evansville Fire Department—Large grass fire along a fence line at Highway 14 and Wilder Road, at 5:10 p.m. in Porter Township.