Officials Locate One Deceased After Field Fire

ROCHELLE – One person was found dead after first responders arrived to the scene of a field fire in rural Lee County Monday night. Rochelle Fire Department Captain Zach Prewett confirmed that around 3:30 PM firefighters arrived to the scene of two pieces of farm machinery ablaze off of Reynolds Road near rural Steward. Authorities were called to the scene by a nearby hunter. Multiple agencies, including Lee-Ogle Fire Protection District, Paw Paw Fire Department, Lee County Sheriff’s Office, Office of the State Fire Marshall, and the Lee County Coroner were on scene. Rochelle Fire Chief Dave Sawlsville confirmed that the deceased individual was found inside a combine, which was destroyed in the blaze, along with around 8 acres of standing corn and a tractor with an auger wagon. The identity of the deceased person is being withheld pending notification of next of kin. Further information is expected to be released by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office. A second field fire off of Gurler Road was also extinguished by crews Monday night around the same time, but that blaze was unrelated.