Multiple brush fires were reported in the Sparta area on Saturday, Aug. 30 and the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office believes they were intentionally set.
In a press release, Sheriff Jarrod Peters noted that around 5:32 p.m. that day, 911 dispatchers began receiving multiple reports of brush fires. Fires were reported in the following areas: County Road 18, Doza Creek Road, Hill Prairie Road, Hickory Grove Road, Leslie and Field Road, and Airport Road.
The Southern Illinois Fire Incidents page reported multiple agencies responding to the fires. They listed: Marissa Fire, Tilden Fire, Sparta Fire, Baldwin Fire, Steeleville Fire, Randolph County Sheriff’s Office, Sparta Police, Red Bud Police and the Illinois State Police.
For more on this incident, please see this week’s print edition.