No criminal intent suspected in 85-acre fire

The cause of a fire that covered between 85 to 100 acres of crop land and wooded area in northeast Vermillion on Monday is still under investigation, according to a press release from the City of Vermillion Fire Emergency Management Services Department.

The fire, which was reported by several callers to the Clay County 911 Communications Center shortly after noon, was extinguished around 7 p.m. Monday. It extended across four different properties and jumped two roads, County Roads 317 and 466, Vermillion Fire Chief Shannon Draper said.

Its rapid progression was mostly due to strong winds, he added.

“At its peak it was traveling faster than a person could run,” he said. “So we had a hard time keeping up with it, safely keeping up with it.”

Though he’s “pretty sure” he knows where the fire originated, Draper said he still has to talk to property owners before concluding his investigation.

“There’s nothing suspicious about it. There’s no criminal intent, but before releasing anything, I need to speak with all the parties involved,” he said.

Aid was requested from Gayville, Wakonda, Elk Point, Centerville, Beresford and Newcastle “due to the size and speed of the wind driven fire,” the release stated. An excavator was also provided by Midwest Ready Mix and Equipment in Vermillion to assist crews in a heavily wooded area.

Homes in the area were an item of concern at the time, according to the release. Using local farmers’ farm equipment, the crews were able to prevent the fire from reaching three homes nearby.

One of the 93 firefighters that responded to the scene sustained an injury, but it was a “very minor” one, Draper said.

Because not all of the firefighters that responded had the same certification, they had to be placed accordingly, Draper said. But overall, he was happy with how the team worked together and executed their training.

“There’s a lot of planning and training that goes into place to be able to be effective with that,” he said.