An Ohio, Illinois, volunteer firefighter has pleaded not guilty to an arson charge that accuses him of setting a grass fire Friday in the Green River State Wildlife Management Area that authorities said burned 700 acres.

Trent W. Schafer, 21, of Kasbeer is charged with one count of arson in connection with the five-alarm fire that firefighters from about a dozen departments fought throughout Friday, according to a Lee County Sheriff’s Office news release.

Schafer appeared in Lee County Circuit Court for a preliminary hearing Wednesday morning, where he entered his not-guilty plea, and Judge Jacquelyn Ackert set his next court date, a pretrial conference, for 8:30 a.m May 7. Schafer, who has been granted pretrial release, is represented by the Lee County Public Defender’s Office.

The arson charge, a Class 2 felony, carries a possible three-to-seven-year prison sentence upon conviction.

Lee County Dispatch was notified of the large grass fire at 11:11 a.m. Friday. According to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, witnesses saw a man get out of a vehicle and set some areas of grass on fire in the management area’s preserve. The witnesses were able to stop the man and detain him for law enforcement personnel, according to a news release.

Lee County deputies took Schafer into custody at the scene.

The Walnut Fire Department assumed command of the incident, which quickly rose to a five-alarm level as weather conditions caused the flames to spread rapidly. A special weather statement had been issued by the National Weather Service at 9:40 a.m. Friday, warning of the elevated threat of brush and grass fire spread.

Fire departments from Princeton, Ohio, Tampico, Amboy, Sublette, Manlius, Yorktown, Rock Falls and Dixon Rural responded to assist. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources also dispatched its own firefighting crews that specialize in wildland fires.

The fire was brought under control about 3:45 p.m. Friday, with crews still extinguishing numerous hot spots until after 5 p.m.