The Warthog Fire burned about 80 acres in the Juneau County town of Kingston on Monday, May 12, 2025.
KINGSTON − The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources said a wildfire that burned about 80 acres in Juneau County Monday was controlled and people from about 40 homes that had been evacuated earlier in the evening could “safely return to their homes.”
The Wisconsin DNR sent an updated news release about 7:30 p.m. May 12 that said the Warthog Fire in the Juneau County town of Kingston was controlled. Suppression resources were making good progress with containment lines and limiting rapid fire spread and looking for interior pockets of active fire while reinforcing containment lines, the Wisconsin DNR said in the release.
The fire’s behavior was anticipated to be moderate into the evening hours and crews were starting to transition to night operations with patrol and mop-up being the main focus, the release said.
The Southwest District Incident Management Team had been cancelled. Two Wisconsin Army National Guard Blackhawk helicopters were refueling and available to make a few more drops to help reinforce containment lines before returning to base, according to the DNR.
In total, the fire burned about 80 acres.
The Wisconsin DNR said in an earlier release May 12, that as of 5:30 p.m. about 40 homes were being evacuated and portions of Juneau County 173 were closed as fire crews from the Wisconsin DNR and local agencies responded to the wildfire, which at the time was growing.
The fire started in the town of Cutler and was moving into the town of Kingston, near the community of Mather, the DNR said in the initial news release. The fire was traveling northeast and in pine and marsh grass.
Eleven engines, six tractor plows, two air attack planes and two Blackhawk helicopters were working to extinguish the fire. Several local fire departments and local law enforcement were assisting with evacuations.
The cause of the wildfire is under investigation.
Monday’s weather conditions resulted in critical fire danger, with DNR suspending outdoor burning in the area. Contributing factors include warm temperatures, very low relative humidity and windy conditions, according to the Wisconsin DNR.
For the most current fire situation, check the DNR Facebook page or check current fire danger, wildfire reports and burning restrictions on the DNR website.
Editor Jamie Rokus can be reached at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter at @Jamie_Rokus.
This article originally appeared on Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune: Warthog wildfire in Juneau County burned about 80 acres, now controlled
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