LEE COUNTY, Ill. (WAND) — A volunteer firefighter was arrested and accused of starting a field fire in a nature preserve in northern Illinois on Friday.Â
According to the Lee County Sheriff's Office, reports of an intentionally set, large grass fire in the Green River State Wildlife Management Area came in just after 11 a.m.
The nature preserve is in Lee County, Illinois, just over an hour south of Rockford.
Police said witnesses saw 21-year-old Trent W. Schafer get out of a vehicle and set some areas of grass on fire in the preserve. The witnesses then stopped Schafer and detained him until officers arrived, according to the sheriff's office.
Schafer, who police said is a volunteer firefighter with the Ohio, Illinois fire department, was arrested on the scene and charged with one count of arson. The sheriff's office said additional arson charges are pending for several other fires previously set in Lee County.
According to the sheriff's office, the fire spread quickly due to weather conditions, and it was not brought under control until around 3:45 p.m. Police said fire crews were still putting out hot spots until after 5 p.m.Â
The fire was estimated to cover around 700 acres.
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