Monticello - Central Illinois' recent dry and windy weather makes for the perfect condition for fires to get out of hand.
Piatt County deputies and Mid-Piatt firefighters still don't know the cause of a fire that nearly destroyed a popular bike and walking trail in Monticello.
What they do know is the summertime conditions made it one tough fire to put out.
"What we call the boardwalk that connects the actual bike path with the bridge, that and the super structure are burnt up. We lost about a hundred to a hundred and fifty feet of that," says Monticello city manager Floyd Allslop.
Allsop says that he thinks the fire wasn't set on purpose.
"This is probably something accidental. I would hope to think that this was maybe a cigarette that maybe got out of hand. With the high winds Wednesday, it was a real challenge," says Allsop.
Allsop says the cost of repair will likely not be cheap, maybe as much as $150,000. The city is already discussing options on rebuilding the damaged areas.
Piatt County deputies are asking anyone with information about this fire to call them at 762-5761.
