Large vegetation fire draws heavy fire department response near Waupun

PHOTO SUBMITTED BY WAUPUN FIRE DEPARTMENT

At 2:20 p.m. on Wednesday, March 12, 2025, Waupun Fire Crews responded to N11777 County Road I in the Town of Chester, east of Waupun, for a brush fire.

Upon arrival, approximately 10 acres had burned and fire was being pushed to the north and west into a large cattail marsh. Crews aggressively battled the line of fire in multiple areas and were able to bring it under control at approximately 3:55 p.m. The fire was extinguished by 4:05 p.m. and crews continued working on overhaul for another 45 minutes. It is estimated that 45-50 acres were burned.

While no structures were affected by the fire, a deer stand was lost and there was damage to a fence. No firefighters or individuals at the scene were injured during the incident.

A Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) box was used for this fire which brought in additional units from Alto, Beaver Dam, Brandon-Fairwater, Brownsville, Burnett, City of Fond du Lac, Fox Lake, Oakfield, and Randolph Fire Departments as well as staff and equipment from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife. Due to the size of the fire, numerous UTVs were needed for fire attack with water tenders and fire engines staging at key locations to support suppression operations. Lifestar EMS was also on scene to assist with firefighter rehab. The Lamartine Fire Department staged at the Waupun Fire Department to stand by in case any other incidents came in.

The Waupun Fire Department would like to remind citizens that outdoor burning during this time of year can be very dangerous due to extremely dry conditions, low relative humidity, and grass/weeds/plants that are still dormant. Even with low wind conditions today, the fire quickly went from a controlled burn to out of control.