Several fire departments from Lake and Porter counties helped the Gary firefighters with the blazes, Jones said, among them Griffith, Highland, Hammond, Lake Station, Portage, Cedar Lake and Lake Ridge, which had been battling its own huge brush fire behind Lake Ridge Middle School well into Saturday night. Highland Chief Bill Timmer said at the height of the fires, there were at least 150 firefighters on the ground.
Gary officials looking for causes of weekend fires; city firefighters, other departments battled 15-18 blazes
