United States (Wisconsin) - A grass fire in Pierce County, Wis., sent three firefighters to the hospital Wednesday night. The Elmwood Fire Department responded to the fire in the town of El Paso at about 5 p.m. Wednesday night after the blaze was spotted by a pilot flying overhead, said Mike Shields, chief of the department.

Heat and smoke from the fire sent three of the department's volunteer firefighters to the area hospitals, Shields said. Firefighter Tom Joyce was most seriously affected, and was flown by helicopter to Regions Hospital in St. Paul where he was listen in good condition this afternoon, a hospital spokesperson said.

The two other firefighters, Travis Bemis and Jeremy Link, were taken to River Falls Area Hospital, where they were treated and released.

"It doesn't take a lot of smoke to put someone down," said Shields today.

Firefighters managed to contain the 25-acre fire by about 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, he said.

In addition to the Elmwood Fire Department, the Spring Valley Fire Department and Ellsworth Fire Department also responded to the scene, said Neil Gulbranson, chief deputy of the Pierce County sheriff's office.

There have been numerous smaller grass fires in western Wisconsin lately, but Wednesday's fire was the largest, said Gulbranson, adding he didn't know if a cause of the fire had been determined.

Shields said conditions were dry and would stay that way until the area received some rain. He urged residents to use caution when burning or using

fire outside.

On Tuesday, the National Weather Service issued a "red flag warning" -- meaning there are critical fire conditions -- for Pierce, St. Croix, Chippewa, Eau Claire, Dunn and Pepin counties.

The warning expired Tuesday evening, but there continued to be severe fire conditions possible through tonight, according to the NWS.

A cold front is predicted to move across Minnesota and into Wisconsin Friday, and with it some relief from the dry conditions. A half-inch to three-quarters of an inch of rain is expected to fall across eastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin, according to the NWS.

Written by Saint Paul Pioneer Press