Crews extinguish large fire near Lieber State Park

Smoke plumes in the state forest near Lieber State Park after a large fire broke out Monday afternoon. Multiple fire crews were dispatched to stop its spread.

Courtesy Putnam County Sheriff's Office

CLOVERDALE ­— Area fire crews were hard at work Monday afternoon and into the evening putting down a large fire in the state forest north of Lieber State Park.

A local resident initially alerted Putnam County Dispatch reporting a large amount of smoke along State Road 243 and County Road 1050 South. This is not far from the Blackhawk Campground located near Cloverdale.

Indiana Conservation Officers were in this area of the state forest at the time and reported a large wildfire that was quickly spreading.

Crews from the Greencastle Fire Department, Cloverdale Volunteer Fire Department, Reelsville Volunteer Fire Department, Jefferson Township Volunteer Fire Department and the Putnamville Correctional Facility Fire Department were all dispatched.

Putnam County CERT assisted the firefighters and the Indiana Department of Transportation assisted with traffic control. The United States Forest Service and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources were also on the ground during the fire.

After coordinating with the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, Paul Jedele, who owns McDonald’s restaurants in the area, stepped up to provide food to the firefighters at the scene.

State Road 243 from County Road 1050 South to the Blackhawk Campground was closed during the duration of the incident. Crews estimated that the fire had spread almost a mile in width. It has been estimated that 10-to-15 acres was consumed.

The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office advised that Indiana Conservation Officers are investigating the cause of the fire.