Electrical fire neat East Dubuque Elementary

Officials said an electrical fire started near East Dubuque Elementary School on Monday morning, but the blaze was extinguished quickly and no injuries were reported. East Dubuque Fire Department units responded shortly after 11 a.m. to an area near the elementary school. Firefighters arrived on scene and found a fire in the ditch between the school and Illinois 35 stretching about 1,500 feet. Firefighters quickly got the blaze under control and had it mostly knocked down by 11:32 a.m. Preliminary findings show the fire was started by sparking electrical wires underneath a transformer. The sparks rained down on the vegetation below, which caught fire. Minor damage was sustained to the telephone pole and the vegetation.