Firefighters extinguish grass fire near Eagle Creek Airpark - 13 WTHR Indianapolis

Firefighters have put out a large grass fire near a west Indianapolis airport.

The fire started around 6 p.m. Wednesday near the south end of Eagle Creek Airpark near W. 38th Street and I-465. Seven fire departments, including IFD, Pike and Wayne townships, Indianapolis International Airport, Pittsboro, Lizton and Brownsburg, responded to the fire.

Fire crews rotated personnel every 15-20 minutes due to the heat. Two firefighters were taken to St. Vincent Hospital for dehydration and exhaustion. They are reportedly in good condition. No one else was injured.

John Hay, who was riding his bike in the area when the fire started, said a transformer blew, sparking the fire. By the time the first firefighters showed up, the wind had picked up, fueling the fire.

"It was spreading, I mean, as they were tamping it out, it was way beyond them and it was spreading pretty rapidly," Hay said.

The fire was spreading so quickly, firefighters were running to get out of its path.

The airport was closed for about an hour during the fire, which was marked under control around 7:15 p.m. Smoke drifted over I-465 and area roads, including W. 38th Street, which was closed from Dandy Trail to Eagle Creek Parkway while firefighters worked to get the fire under control.

No buildings were damaged in the fire, though power was knocked out to homes and businesses near the airport.

"It was starting to be a decent crowd. We'd just started coming into the dinner rush and that was pretty much the end of it," said Shawn Sublette at Rick's Boatyard Cafe.