Field fire burns 50 acres near Shelburn

SULLIVAN COUNTY, Ind. (WTHI) - A plume of smoke rose several hundred feet in the air as a fire torched some fields near Shelburn Wednesday afternoon.

Volunteer firefighters from six departments responded.

Firefighters estimate the fire burned up 50 to 55 acres. They said it started when the wind picked up embers from a trash fire and blew them into a nearby field.

Firefighters were able to keep all the damage in fields that have already been harvested. Still, Thunderbird Fire Protection Territory Investigator Tim Shott said the winds made the fire extremely challenging to contain.

"We've not had enough rain," said Shott. "We've been worried about the actual burn issues. Sooner or later we may have to issue something on that. Because especially on a day when it's windy like today, it doesn't take much and it will burn pretty much anything it gets into."

Vigo and Parke counties also dealt with brush fires Wednesday afternoon.