A tree that fell on a power line has been determined to be the cause of a 6.4 acre brush fire in Jefferson the afternoon of May 1, according to Kent Nelson, a fire prevention specialist for the Maine Forest Service.
Five fire departments, 10 apparatus, and about 40 firefighters battled a brush fire in the fields and woods on the west side of Bunker Hill Road (Route 213) for about two hours before finally stopping the spreading fire line, according to Jefferson Fire Chief Walter Morris. The scene was near 347 Bunker Hill Road.
Morris said he received an initial call from Lincoln County Communication about a report of smoke seen on the Damariscotta Lake shoreline. No burn permits had been issued that day because there was a Class 3 fire danger rating and no permits are issued on weekdays until after 5 p.m., Morris said.
After a second report of smoke, the page to departments went out to Jefferson, Somerville, Whitefield, Waldoboro, and Nobleboro at about 1:10 p.m., Morris said.
Once on scene, Morris said he requested a helicopter from the Maine Forest Service but it was already in the air at a fire in Thorndike.
The blowing breeze helped the fire spread quickly, Morris said. “It was going good when we got here,” he said.
Morris sent one crew to the head of the fire, and once they had cut it off, teams were able to work in from the flanks and contain the blaze, he said.
Firefighters used trucks to fight the fire where there were accessible roads, but much of the fire had to be combated by units on foot using Indian tanks.
After two hours from the initial page for the departments, the firefighters had contained the fire and were “mopping up” and extinguishing hotspots inside the perimeter, Morris said.
Crews continued to work for several hours before finally leaving the scene at about 9:30 p.m., Morris said on May 6.
Jefferson Fire Department also responded to a smaller, half-acre brush fire on Atkins Road on May 5 that was the result of a homeowner burning without a permit, Morris said.
Jefferson was at Class 3 “High” fire danger on Wednesday, but has been at Class 4 “Very High” since Friday, Morris said.
According to the Maine Forest Website, when fire danger is Class 4, “Fires start easily from all causes, and immediately after ignition, spread rapidly and increase quickly in intensity. Spot fires are a constant danger.
“Fires burning in light fuels may quickly develop high-intensity characteristics; such as, long-distance spotting and fire whirlwinds, when they burn into heavier fuels. Direct attack at the head of such fires is rarely possible after they have been burning more than a few minutes.”
The Wildfire Danger Report is available at http://www.maine.gov/doc/mfs/firedanger/fire.shtml.