Monday a Busy Day for Firefighters

Area firefighters were called out on three fires before noon on Monday.

The biggest fire was on a farm in rural Jasper County.

The fire was on the farm of Mark Marshall, south of Dieterich and then east into Jasper County. Dieterich Fire Chief Ross Martin said Marshall said he was using a skid steer to move some straw out of a machine shed. Martin said Marshall believes a spark might have started the blaze that eventually destroyed the 150-by-90-foot structure filled with tractors and with straw. Due to the remote location of the farm, Martin said the building was fully involved in flames before they could reach the scene.

No one was injured and the cows inside the building were removed unharmed.

Dieterich was assisted at the scene by fire companies from Teutopolis, Effingham, Watson, Altamont, Wade Township, Edgewood, Noble/Wakefield, Shumway, Crooked Creek and Hidalgo. The Jasper County and Effingham County sheriff's departments, the Illinois Department of Conservation Police, Illinois State Police, and Abbott and Jasper EMS were all on hand, as well.

The same wind that fanned the flames of the fire also helped, as they were blowing from the northwest and kept the fire away from two other outbuildings loaded with hay and straw.

Firefighters were still on scene at noon.

Teutopolis firefighters on scene at the rural Dieterich fire said it was their second call of the day. They had been called to the Jeff Buhnerkempe residence at 16159 East 1485th Avenue at 4:05am. Firefighters said a hot tub in back of the residence had caught fire. Heat from the fire melted the siding on the house. No one was injured. Firefighters were on scene for about 40 minutes.

Firefighters from Shumway, Effingham and Altamont were called to a flue fire at a home at 9190 Robin Drive off Cardinal Lane north of Lake Sara. The first report to firefighters at 11:14am was that flames were coming out of the top of the house.

(FIREFIGHTERS WORK TO REMOVE THE FLUE CAP OFF THE HOME ON ROBIN DRIVE)

Altamont Fire Chief Jon Becker said on scene that Stewardson Fire Chief Troy Agney heard the page and was nearby and went to work on the fire with a small water canister designed to better direct water. Becker said Agney was able to keep the fire under control until other firefighters reached the scene and limited the damage.

No one was injured. Abbott EMS assisted firefighters at the scene. Firefighters were on scene for about 90 minutes.