The Salem Fire Protection District was called out to what turned out to be two large field fires on Wednesday afternoon.
Fire Chief Dave Duncan says the first fire started on the Julie Roberts property at 5674 Charleston Road from a trash fire. It spread into an adjoining corn stubble field owned by Walsh Farms and burned 15 to 20 acres before being brought under control. Salem received mutual aid assistance from Kinmundy-Alma Firemen. The call came in at 3:25 Wednesday afternoon.
Six minutes later the fire department was called to a report of a combine on fire in a field on property owned by Karen McConnaughay at 5925 Apple Ridge Road in Salem. Fortunately, the fire moved away from the combine that received only minor damage. But the resulting field fire spread to 30 acres of standing soybeans that were destroyed before being brought under control. Salem Firemen received
mutual aid assistance at that fire from Iuka, Kell, and Odin Firemen while Sandoval stood by at the Salem station in the event of another fire.
Salem Firemen were called out early Thursday morning to a rekindle of a fire at a vacant home destroyed at 907 North Shelby. Flames were shooting from a crawl space at the rear of the home. A Salem Township backhoe was used to tear down the rear of the home in hopes of preventing any future rekindles. The fire call came in at 4:13 Thursday morning with firemen remaining on the scene until six am.
