Dozens respond to wildfire

Daily Citizen/Paul Scharf

Numerous fire departments responded to a wildfire this morning in the town of Elba north of Bethel Road. Firefighters fought to contain the blaze and prevent it from spreading to any structures.

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Several other blazes reported By CITIZEN STAFF Five fires reported throughout Dodge County Tuesday kept area fire departments busy late into the night. According to the Dodge County Sheriff's Department, the following fires were reported: -- At 2:45 p.m. in the town of Theresa a fire burned brush and trees along Hiawatha Road near Highway TW. Lomira, Kekoskee and Theresa fire departments extinguished the blaze. -- At 3:35 p.m. in the town of Lomira a machine shed caught fire. Knowles and Brownsville firefighters were dispatched to the scene. -- At 8:35 p.m. in the town of Elba a grass fire was reported near the intersection of Highway 60 and Highway BB. Columbus and Reeseville fire departments responded. -- At 9:56 p.m. in the town of Herman a ditch was burning along Highway AY near Highway 33. An AT&T utility box was damaged by the blaze. Iron Ridge Fire Department responded to the scene. -- At 11:49 p.m. in town of Lebanon the sheriff's department received a report of a field on fire. Authorities found that a "large quantity of tires" had been set on fire in a ditch along Highway MM.

Forty-eight firefighters from the Columbus, Beaver Dam, Reeseville, Fall River, Juneau and Lowell Fire Departments responded to a fire which began as a control-burn brush pile fire at N4963 Ron Del Road on Wednesday morning.

The Department of Natural Resources Poynette Ranger, the Dodge County Sheriff's Department, Heartline Medix and Beaver Dam Emergency Medical Services also responded to the fire, which burned 15 to 20 acres of marsh land.

"All the departments worked well together, and the firefighters did a super-wonderful job," said Lt. Jerrod Fox, public information officer for the Columbus Fire Department, who was also in command at the fire scene. "With the elements of the high winds and the dry, high-vegetation grass in the marsh, we saved all the buildings and all the life-property, so that is huge."

Fox could not identify who owned the property where the blaze started or the name of the person who was burning brush.

Fox said that one Columbus firefighter was taken to Columbus Community Hospital by Heartline for heat exhaustion.

"There is currently no burning ban for Dodge County, but it is strongly advised to call Dodge County dispatch if you are going to burn in Dodge County," Fox said. "But it is strongly advised with the high winds and the vegetation to not burn."

Rain is not in the forecast for the area until late on Saturday.

The fire on Wednesday threatened property for a time, getting within 25 feet of buildings on Bethel and Jones Road, where it was finally extinguished.

The call for the fire came in at 9:45 a.m., and firefighters were on scene until about 1:30 p.m.The Columbus Fire Department was called on Wednesday afternoon to a controlled burn on Breyer Road that turned out to be under control.

Columbus had called the Fall River Fire Department for mutual aid before the extent of that fire was known.

pscharf@capitalnewspapers.com