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Sparta FD responds to minor incidents

The Sparta Fire Department responded to two ultimately minor incidents today and Monday.

On Monday, Sparta firefighters were toned to a field fire on Dethrow Road, west of Country Club Road and about 5 miles west of the city.

Steeleville, Evansville and Baldwin firefighters were paged to assist.

"It came in as a huge, 3-acre fire, that's why I invited everybody," said Sparta Fire Chief Brian Adams. "I think you could have parked a pickup over the fire, that's how large it was."

Today, Sparta firefighters were called out to Spartan Light Metal Products around 10 a.m. on the report of a fire inside an outside wall at the facility.

"That really wasn't much either," Adams said. "It was an outside trash fire that spread inside the wall."

Adams said firefighters were on scene for about a half hour in that incident.

Firefighters remain cautious as the area's drought conditions worsen and more field fires are reported. According to the National Drought Mitigation Center (www.drought.gov), the majority of Randolph County was experiencing "moderate drought" as of Nov. 21.

The NDMC updates its drought numbers on Thursdays at 8 a.m. The region has a chance of light rain on Wednesday night, but significant rain totals aren't forecast in the foreseeable future.