From the Huntley Fire Protection District:
Barn Fire on Church Road
On Friday, May 22, 2026, at 11:44 a.m., the Huntley Fire Protection District responded to the 14800 block of Church Road in unincorporated Huntley for reports of a structure fire.
Firefighters arrived to find a large barn fully engulfed in fire with multiple nearby exposures threatened and a field fire burning across the roadway.
Due to the size of the incident and rapid fire spread, the response was upgraded to a Working Fire and later elevated through the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (M.A.B.A.S.) for additional manpower, water resources, and change of quarter companies.
Firefighters immediately deployed hose lines to begin attacking the fire and protecting nearby buildings, including one adjacent structure that had already caught fire.
The approximately 90-foot by 40-foot barn was heavily involved in fire upon arrival, with portions of the roof and exterior walls already beginning to collapse.
Due to the rural location and lack of hydrants in the area, rural water supply operations were established west of the fire scene where water tenders continuously shuttled water to support suppression efforts.
With the main barn completely consumed by fire, firefighters shifted much of their focus to protecting nearby structures and containing multiple rapidly spreading field fires fueled by strong winds.
Grass and brush fire apparatus were deployed into the fields where crews worked to stop the fire’s spread.
The field fires were quickly extinguished and ultimately contained to less than one acre.
One adjacent barn that became involved contained hay, creating a labor-intensive and time-consuming extinguishment process for firefighters.
An excavator and additional heavy machinery were requested to the scene to assist firefighters with dismantling and overhauling the dense stockpile of burning hay.
The bulk of the fire involving the barns was extinguished within approximately 90 minutes.
However, the barn containing hay is expected to continue burning and smoldering for several hours while crews work to tear apart and fully extinguish the tightly packed hay.
The primary barn was unoccupied at the time of the fire, and no animals were injured during the incident.
No firefighter injuries were reported.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Huntley Fire Protection District.
The Huntley Fire Protection District would like to thank the numerous assisting agencies that responded to the scene, the departments that provided station coverage throughout the incident, and the SEECOM 9-1-1 Public Safety Telecommunicators for their assistance and coordination during the response.
Photos are courtesy of the Huntley Fire Protection District.
