10 Acres Burned In Tinley Park Brush Fire: Officials

TINLEY PARK, IL — Just more than 10 acres burned in a brush fire Wednesday afternoon in Tinley Park, officials said.

The Tinley Park Fire Department was called to the brush fire on Cook County Forest Preseve land at 6101 Oak Forest Avenue, near 167th and Oak Forest Avenue, just after noon Tuesday, Fire Chief Steve Klotz said. Shortly after arrival, it was upgraded to a box alarm, then a second alarm for a brush fire response, Klotz said.

First responders from the Forest Preserves of Cook County provided assistance at the scene, and the fire was extinguished by 1:30 p.m., Klotz said.

The fire spread quickly across an open field, Klotz said. It was not a controlled burn, and the cause is unknown, Klotz said. There were no injuries reported.

Forest Preserve officials originally believed five acres were impacted, with reassessment Thursday indicating it had been double that, at 10.3 acres.

Klotz said that had the winds been stronger, like those that prompted a Red Flag warning last week, the outcome could have been worse. Conditions last week were very dry and windy, creating a heightened threat of fire spread.

"Thank God it happened today versus last week," Klotz said, "because we would have more of an issue with the houses to the south. It would have created a whole other concern for us."