Firefighters walk packs of booster hoses to the scene of a brush fire in a wooded lot on Willow Lane in Wiscasset the afternoon of Monday, Aug. 8. (Abigail Adams photo)
A portion of Willow Lane in Wiscasset was closed for several hours the afternoon of Monday, Aug. 8 as area fire departments battled a brush fire on a wooded lot.
Wiscasset, Alna, Boothbay, Dresden, Newcastle, and Westport Island firefighters worked to contain the half-acre brush fire and prevent it from spreading into a woodlot on Willow Lane.
Lightning from a storm Saturday, Aug. 6 is believed to have caused the brush fire, Maine Forest Service Ranger Dan Skillin said. The fire burned underneath the ground, and the dropping humidity levels complicated efforts to extinguish it, Skillin said.
The 99-acre lot is owned by New England Forestry, according to neighbors and town records.
Firefighters created a “scratch line” around the brush fire, an area where material that could burn was removed, and worked to prevent the fire from spreading through the “duff” – foliage, pine needles, and other material covering the soil, Skillin said.
The duff is like a fuse that causes the brush fire to continually spark, which is especially dangerous since Monday was a class 3 day, which means it was a high-risk fire day, Skillin said.
Firefighters prepare to send a Boothbay Fire Department all-terrain vehicle to the location of a brush fire off Willow Lane in Wiscasset the afternoon of Monday, Aug. 8. (Abigail Adams photo)
Due to the fire burning through the duff, what appeared to be a half-acre brush fire really encompassed an acre and a half, Skillin said. Extensive overhaul will be needed to put out remaining hot spots and ensure the fire is properly extinguished, he said.
The mutual aid effort, which came to an end shortly after 4 p.m., was excellent, Wiscasset Fire Chief T.J. Merry said. The brush fire was initially reported around 11:45 a.m.
Wiscasset Deputy Chief John Merry investigated reports of a smell of something burning and located the brush fire, which was a couple hundred feet off Willow Lane, T.J. Merry said. There were no flames visible from the roadway.
Mutual aid partners were paged out shortly after noon. The fire was contained with booster hoses, ATVs, and a lot of manpower, T.J. Merry said.
About 30 firefighters from area departments responded to the scene, he said. The Wiscasset Ambulance Service transported one firefighter to the hospital for dehydration and heat exhaustion.
The Wiscasset Fire Department is monitoring the area closely to ensure it does not rekindle, T.J. Merry said. The department returned to Willow Lane at about 10 p.m., Monday, Aug. 8, and firefighters were able to identify additional hotspots that were extinguished.
Merry also returned to the location three times Tuesday, Aug. 9 to ensure there was not a rekindle. The department will continue to monitor the area over the next couple of days, he said.
It is not unusual for lightning to cause brush fires, which often smolder for days before they spark into visible flames, Skillin said.
The Central Lincoln County Ambulance Service also responded to the scene.
