Illinois Volunteer Firefighter Faces Arson Charge After Wildfire Burns 700 Acres

A wildfire last week resulted in an arson charge.

On February 27th, authorities were notified of a large, intentionally-set grass fire Green River State Wildlife Management Area, according to a post from the Lee County Sheriff's Office in Dixon.

The post says witnesses saw someone get out of a car and set some areas of grass on fire in the area. Witnesses were able to stop the person and keep him there until police got to the scene.

21-year-old volunteer firefighter Trent Schafer, from Kasbeer (a volunteer firefighter in Ohio, Illinois), was taken into custody by Lee County deputies. He was charged with one count of Arson and additional counts are pending.

There's no word in the post as a possible motive for why Schafer would start the fire.

The wildfire became huge, quickly rising to a 5-alarm fire, tackled by the Walnut Fire Department. They got help from Princeton, Ohio, Tampico, Amboy, Sublette, Manlius, Yorktown, Rock Falls and Dixon Rural Fire Departments. After it was finally put out, it's estimated the wildfire burned about 700 acres in the area.

Arson is a Class 2 felony, punishable by 3-7 years in prison and is a detainable offense under the SAFE-T Act.

On the day of the fire, before it was allegedly set, there had been a NWS Special Weather Statement for "the elevated threat of brush and grass fire spread". Warmer temps in the 60's, gusty winds from 30-35 mph, and relative humidity dropping to the 25-35% range really made it dangerous.