Rain helps forest workers douse fire near Masardis

MASARDIS – Mother Nature assisted forest rangers on Tuesday night and Wednesday, dousing forestland with much-needed water. The nighttime rain reportedly was a godsend to rangers and forest workers west of Masardis, where it helped them to gain the upper hand on a fire that burned about 40 acres.

Firefighters got the fire under control Tuesday night, according to Leonard Hutchins of the Maine Forest Service at Ashland.

About a half inch of rain fell Tuesday night, according the National Weather Service in Caribou. At least one inch fell in the region on Wednesday, NWS officials said.

The fire started Tuesday and spread quickly, Hutchins said Wednesday. Forest rangers and Irving Woodlands personnel used helicopters and aircraft to dump water on the fire.

“Thank God for the help we got,” Hutchins said. “We hope this rain will help the forest floor altogether.”

He said the fire, while it may not be out completely, was down. It was believed to still be smoldering underground. He said the area will have to be watered down for a week because it is so dry.

Hutchins said the central Aroostook County district has had about 30 fires in the last two weeks. “It’s unheard of, the number of fires,” he said. “Rangers have been out straight.

“The rangers have been jumping from one fire to the other,” he said. “It’s the worst I’ve seen in 15 years with the service.”

Rangers have been putting in 90-hour weeks to keep up with the fires brought on by the extremely dry weather, he said.

The area received only 0.55 inches of rain in August, according to the NWS.