Massive Field Fire Sends Ash Fluttering Through New Lenox, Manhattan Skies

MANHATTAN, IL — A massive field fire south of Kankakee County that burned for hours and traveled several miles Sunday sent ash fluttering into yards in New Lenox and Manhattan, residents reported.

The fire started in a Ford County bean field around 1 p.m., WCIA reported, but then jumped to a corn field, field of stalks, then to standing corn and eventually another standing bean field. It jumped roads and burnt around three homesteads, according to reports, but crews and farmers were reportedly able to keep the flames from reaching all three.

Crews from 40 fire departments battled the blaze, WCIU reported. Smoke could be seen for miles.

As the fire burned, ash was landing in Manhattan and New Lenox, with residents taking to social media to ask where it was coming from.

"In Jacobs Field and there’s tons of ash falling from the sky—anyone know what that’s from?" one New Lenox woman asked.

"Anyone know why it's raining ashes in Foxford?" a Manhattan resident asked.

Manteno resident Jake Smith, who runs a Manteno weather and storm chaser social media channel, shared a radar image from above the fire.

"That's not rain you're seeing," Smith shared. "That is smoke from the fire."

New Lenox Township resident Cathy Welch, who lives near Silver Cross Hospital, said she saw ash falling in her yard—so much so, she asked her husband to check neighboring properties for any flames.

"... we were truly perplexed because we could not smell any smoke yet there was this ash falling," Welch said. "Every time the wind would pick up, that's when the ash would fall."

Locally, the fire posed additional safety risks, to onlookers. Though advised to stay away as crews fought the fire, some flocked to the area for videos and photos. Area resident Mark McDermott caught images of the smoke safely from 4-5 miles away.

"... Our local fire departments and farmers were very frustrated with all the people driving around trying to take pictures and video," McDermott said. "They were parking in the middle of roads, blocking farm equipment and firefighters from getting to where they needed to. The intersections in the country aren’t marked with stop signs and there were cars flying through those intersections. They didn’t want a car accident on top of the fire they were fighting."

The last of the firefighters cleared the scene around 8 p.m., WCIU reported.

In Beecher on Saturday, dry conditions and gusty winds fed a brush fire that consumed 40 acres before being brought under control.

The fire started in tall grass and ran into woods nearby, with difficult terrain and limited access points complicating crews' attack on the blaze. The Lake County, Indiana Sheriff’s Department Aviation Unit was called in to drop water on that fire. The Beecher fire's cause is under investigation, officials said.

The National Weather Service on Sunday warned of weather conditions creating a heightened risk of grass, brush and field fires.

"Any fires that ignite may become difficult to control due to the strong winds and dry condition," the special weather statement reads. "Outdoor burning is strongly discouraged."

Farmland is particularly at risk, the statement reads, noting that wind gusts can cause dust from harvesting to be blown around, reducing visibility locally.