Orono fire burns out of control

ORONO – Gusty spring winds caused an unpermitted fire to burn more brush Friday afternoon than the Kelley Road residents had bargained for.

About 2 acres more, according to Orono Fire Department officials.

“This guy was burning without a permit,” Fire Chief Norman “Buddy” Webb said at the scene. “It got away from him.”

No one was hurt when the fire briefly flared behind the white ranch house at 181 Kelley Road.

Officials would not release the names of the people who had started the fire, and they declined to identify themselves. Orono fire officials said that the Maine Forest Service would investigate the incident.

Crews from Orono, Veazie and Old Town fire departments and the Maine Forest Service had mostly extinguished the fire by about 3 p.m. Friday.

Firefighters walked through the birch forest with yellow Indian packs full of water strapped to their backs, dampening the charred underbrush. The acrid smell of burned leaves filled the air as the crew maneuvered long hoses from their trucks into the smoldering underbrush.

A large square patch of the back yard, the site of the brush fire, was blackened.

“When we arrived we had 1 to 2 acres burning,” said Rob St. Louis, acting captain of the Orono Fire Department. “It took us about 45 minutes to contain it.”

As the yellow-jacketed firefighters busily packed equipment and drank cups of water nearby, St. Louis cautioned against burning without a permit.

“Any type of burn, you’ll want to call in ahead of time,” he said, “especially with this wind.”