3 suffer heat exhaustion fighting Indiana woods fire

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ARGOS — A fire chief says three firefighters were treated for heat exhaustion as crews worked to extinguish a blaze that consumed 20 acres of a wooded area in northern Indiana.

Argos Fire Chief Mark Dean tells WBST-TV that the fire in a rural area of southern Marshall County might have been burning for several days before it was reported Wednesday evening. He says crews arrived to find some trees burnt in half and falling over.

Dean says nearly 40 firefighters needed about six hours to put out the blaze that was about 100 yards from a home. The firefighters with heat exhaustion were treated at the scene about 30 miles south of South Bend.

The area is under open burning bans because of the state's drought conditions.