Fire near Kokadjo burns 100 acres

SHAWTOWN TOWNSHIP – Attacks by air and ground continued Tuesday in an effort to control a forest fire that has burned about 100 acres in this remote unorganized township.

The fire on the side of Black Pinnacle Ridge 10 miles east of Kokadjo in Piscataquis County was about 80 percent contained and was being fought by about 60 firefighters, according to Maine Forest Service spokesman Jim Downie.

Downie said there was no line of firefighters around the head of the fire because of steep terrain. On Tuesday morning the fire jumped the lines a couple of times, causing concern that the fire would reach about 200 acres of young pine, spruce and fir. “We could lose this fire; it’s by no means fully controlled,” Downie said Tuesday afternoon.

A CL415, a large fixed-wing airplane out of Quebec, was on the scene, along with two Maine Forest Service helicopters. The participation of the CL415 was arranged through the Northeast Forest Fire Compact. Downie said this is only the second time that Maine has had to request the use of the large aircraft.

The CL415, which holds 1,600 gallons of water per trip, resembles a flying boat as it skims water from First Roach and Second Roach ponds and shuttles it to the fires, according to Downie.

“That’s a big help to us,” Downie said. Large pumps set up on the scene are helping to pump water more than 11/2 miles from the source to the fire, he said.

The fire was first reported around 1:30 p.m. Monday and quickly spread through young softwood regeneration growth, up the side of the steep ridge.