Multiple fire departments responded to a large field fire south of Mechanicsburg Saturday afternoon after a vehicle blaze spread into a nearby harvested cornfield.
According to the Mechanicsburg Fire Department, crews were dispatched at 1:33 p.m. on Sunday, October 5, to the 8000 block of Neer Road for a report of a vehicle on fire. When firefighters arrived, the vehicle was fully engulfed, and flames had spread rapidly through the dry field, fueled by shifting winds.
Tankers began an immediate fire attack as mutual aid was requested from surrounding departments. Firefighters battled the blaze for about an hour before bringing it under control, but not before it burned more than 15 acres, including areas of standing corn.
Assisting agencies included Pleasant Township, Central Township, Harmony Township, London, Pleasant Valley, North Lewisburg, West Liberty, Urbana, and JSP (St. Paris) Fire Departments.
Traffic control was needed due to heavy smoke drifting across the roadway. The Mechanicsburg Police Department and Champaign County Sheriff’s Office handled road safety during the incident.
No injuries were reported, and the cause of the vehicle fire remains under investigation.
