Bucksport seeks costs of two fires 33 towns still assessing tally for Route 15 blaze

BUCKSPORT – The town of Bucksport will take steps to recover the costs incurred fighting two forest fires last month, including the blaze that drew firefighters from 33 towns to a Route 15 site.

Town Manager Roger Raymond did not want to speak in detail about what those steps might be when he discussed the matter with councilors last week. Although Raymond praised the efforts of the town’s fire department and the quick, strong response from firefighters in surrounding communities, he said the fires could be costly to the town.

“Bucksport is not geared to cover those kinds of costs,” he said. “The fire on Route 15 was a significantly costly fire.”

The town has not determined the costs incurred from the two fires, Raymond said. Last Thursday, councilors approved the expenditure of $20,000 from the overlay account, which the town will use to cover the additional pay for its firefighters and to replace supplies, mainly Class A foam, used in fighting the fire.

Raymond said the town has not received accountings from the other fire departments that responded to the fires. Those costs could mount up if all the departments submit bills for the time their firefighters spent at the two fires. In the Route 15 fire, more than a hundred firefighters from 33 towns in three counties fought the blaze. Equipment costs will add considerably to the costs involved, he said.

Those departments have 60 days in which to submit bills for their costs, Raymond said.

As costly as the fire could be for the town, it is not likely that the expenses will be high enough for Bucksport to receive any state aid. State law requires a town to cover the costs of fighting fires. The state will provide aid if the costs exceed a quarter of a percent of the town’s state valuation.

“That would have to be in excess of $1 million,” he said. “That would have to be a significant fire before the state would kick in a share of the costs.”

Both fires apparently started as the result of permitted burns on blueberry fields that smoldered undetected before flaring up again.

“When we permit someone to burn, we require that the individual or company has to fulfill certain responsibilities,” Raymond said. “If they do not fulfill those responsibilities, there is the possibility of them being held responsible for damages caused by the fire.”

The Maine Forest Service has issued a summons to both companies who burned the two fields, charging them with failure to extinguish a fire. The companies could face fines of up to $10,000 each, half of which would to the town.

Raymond said the town would wait until those charges have been resolved before it proceeds with any action.

“Once we know the result of the court issues, that will determine what steps we take to recover the costs,” he said.

Meanwhile, the heavy rains in recent days have allowed Bucksport fire officials to ease the restrictions on burning that have been in place since the May fires. According to Assistant Fire Chief Craig Bowden, the department is now issuing limited burn permits.