RACINE — Dozens of firefighters fought a cornfield fire Thursday afternoon on a farm north of Racine.
About 20 to 25 acres of Darrell Clark's corn has burned, and firefighters from Grand Meadow, Spring Valley and Stewartville helped fight the blaze.
The fire probably started from a spark from a combine, Clark said. He was at home when he got a call from a combine worker. He grabbed a fire extinguisher, but it wasn't enough to put out the fire out, so he called the fire department.
At the scene, mud-caked trucks and firefighters shuttled in and out of the field, bringing more water.
"There's a big hole in the middle of the field," Clark said.
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A combine with a hopper full of corn sat in the ditch along U.S. 63, and another tractor with a wagon full of corn was parked behind it.
Clark didn't think the farm machinery was damaged by the fire.
One of Clark's neighbors, Ron Vrieze of Racine, stopped by while Clark watched firefighters douse the flames.
Burning leaves and stalks fluttered through the air, landing and starting fires in small pockets.
"This could be a problem for farmers all fall if we don't get a little rain," Vrieze said.
The fire, which started around 2 p.m., was under control about two hours later.
