HARTFORD, WI — High winds and dry air fueled a brush fire in Hartford Monday afternoon, burning approximately 30 acres and forcing at least one resident to evacuate.
Mike Hornitscheck was at his family's property when the fire broke out.
"My mom is yelling, 'Mike there's smoke, we've got a fire, it's really bad, I think we have to get out of here,'" Hornitscheck told TMJ4.
Hornitscheck said conditions deteriorated rapidly.
"Zero to so thick that ash was falling and you probably could only see 50 yards, and I knew with the high winds today and the property surrounded by trees we're going to need to get out of there," Hornitscheck said.
Watch: Hartford brush fire burns approximately 30 acres, forces one evacuation amid high winds and dry air
First responders from more than 10 agencies spent the afternoon battling the blaze. Hartford Fire Chief Tony Burgard said the wet spring did not prevent the fire from spreading.
"It looks like approximately 30 acres burned up at this time," Burgard said.
Burgard said dead debris on the ground and dry tree branches added fuel to the fire. A controlled burn was taking place in the area around the same time, but fire officials are still working to determine the cause.
With summer approaching, Burgard urged residents to consider weather conditions before burning.
"If it's high winds, anything that goes above single digits, that should be a 'should I be burning or not standpoint, and then the RH, the relative humidity, how dry is it, those things coupled together should let you know if you should be burning tonight," Burgard said.
Hornitscheck said he is grateful firefighters were able to save his home and likely others, including a property his family has owned since the mid-1960s.
"All the family memories, my parents moved here in the mid 1960s, all the family memories, my father had a tree farm here, and so we certainly wanted that preserved," Hornitscheck said.
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