Low visibility in Forest City from peat fire

(ABC 6 News) – The Winnebago County Emergency Notification Network posted to Facebook warning residents in Forest City to stay out of the area of a mainly underground peat fire.

The fire is in the area of 200th Avenue and 380th Street NE of Forest City in a six to eight square mile area.

Everyone is encouraged to stay out of the area in all directions for at least two to three miles for the time being.

As of 8:44 a.m., Winnebago Emergency Management warned that smoke from the peat fire has limited visibility extremely, and in a lot of areas almost to zero visibility.

At about 2:30 p.m., county dispatch confirmed visibility has lifted some, but people are still advised to stay out of the area for the time being.

Residents of Lake Mills are also warned to be aware of the low visibility in the area.

If you live in the area and absolutely have to leave, you are asked to use extreme caution, go slow and stay to the right hand side when driving.