The forest fire. Dry grass on the forest glade burns with small fire jets and bluish smoke
A large grass fire has broken out in northwestern Illinois, leading to the closure of a nine-mile stretch of Interstate 80 on Wednesday afternoon.
According to the Illinois Department of Transportation, the fire broke out near mile marker 65 in Bureau County, near the towns of Hollowayville and Seatonville.
The fire has caused massive amounts of smoke, and limited visibility to the point where Illinois State Police shut down a nine-mile section of the eastbound side of the roadway.
Traffic is being diverted off of the highway at Interstate 180, with motorists being encouraged to take U.S. Route 6 over to Route 89, getting back onto I-80 at mile marker 70.
The westbound passing lane of Interstate 80 is also closed through the area, though the right lane of the westbound side of the roadway remains open.
According to the National Weather Service, Illinois is at an “elevated fire risk” this week due to extremely dry conditions, warm temperatures and gusty winds. The humidity in Rockford as of 1 p.m. was 40%, with a dewpoint of 48 degrees, according to Accuweather.
Most of western Illinois is at either an “abnormally dry” level or in a “moderate drought,” according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, and there is little-to-no rain in the forecast in coming days, which will only exacerbate the issue.
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