Smoke in Barrington area a controlled burn

Heavy smoke in the Barrington area that could be seen miles away today was merely from a controlled burn at Crabtree Forest Preserve.

Lt. Greg Keegan of the Barrington Fire Department said the prairie burn was conducted by the Cook County Forest Preserve District and never got out of hand.

The fire department did respond to the scene because someone called 911 after seeing the smoke. Keegan said the department is required by law to respond when a call comes in.

Keegan said the department does not typically man such prairie burns because the forest preserve district hires professionals to conduct the burns and they're well-stocked with firefighting equipment.

The work was scheduled to continue until about 4 p.m. Friday at the forest preserve, located west of Barrington Road, south of Dundee Road and north of Algonquin Road.

This is a common time for controlled burns, which help restore plants and land. The forest preserve district expects to conduct 20 to 40 this fall alone.