Firefighters battle rural Ashton garage fire in frigid temperatures

OREGON – Firefighters from eight departments battled a garage fire between Oregon and Ashton in frigid temperatures Friday afternoon.

Oregon Deputy Chief Dustin Champlain said his department received the call for mutual aid at 11:30 a.m. to the rural home, located 7 miles north of Ashton and 11 miles southeast of Oregon.

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Firefighters from several area departments extinguished a garage fire at 7483 E. Husking Peg Road on Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. Here, firefighters hose down a vehicle that was inside the detached garage. (Earleen Hinton)

“The call came in for a 50-by-50 detached garage,” Champlain said while at the scene. “We have about seven to eight departments responding.”

The rural location and close proximity of the garage to the home prompted the call for additional aid.

Firefighters extinguished a vehicle inside the shed about 1 p.m., as most of the structure had succumbed to the fire.

A stiff, frigid wind blew across the site in temperatures around 20 degrees as crews remained at the scene for almost two hours.

Champlain said no one was injured in the blaze.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal due to the extent of the damage, Champlain said.