Grass fire season arrives early

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PITTSFIELD – A southbound train moving through this Somerset County town was blamed for sparking a fire that burned more than 30 acres of dry fields and woods Wednesday afternoon.

As area firefighters contended with the windswept flames, farther south on the tracks, Clinton firefighters were putting out fires in three open-topped railroad cars containing construction debris. It was unclear whether the burning railroad cars were part of the same train that sparked the fire in Pittsfield.

The fires took place during a period of high danger for grass fires throughout Maine, according to state and weather officials Wednesday.

The danger period is occurring earlier than usual because of the lack of snow this past winter, according to National Weather Service and Maine Forest Service representatives.

While rain is predicted for the next few days, it won’t be enough to end the danger of wildfires, they said.

“Normally, the busiest time of year for grass fires is April – that’s the time of year after the snow has melted and the grass has dried and before the new green grass comes up,” Mark Bloomer, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Caribou, said Wednesday. Bloomer added that an unusual number of grass fires had been reported during the last two weeks of March this year, probably because there was no snow at all left on the ground.

“We are having a typical fire season – it’s just a few weeks earlier than normal,” Kent Nelson, Maine Forest Service fire prevention specialist, said.

“When you have warm temperatures combined with high winds and low relative humidity, that’s the recipe for the spread of grass fires, ” he said.

Nearly 200 fires have been reported since January, resulting in more than 250 scorched acres, Nelson said.

The precipitation so far this month has been seven-tenths of an inch of rain, and normally it is nine-tenths, which is considerably below normal, according to Bloomer.

Showers are predicted for today, but the dry period most likely will continue, he said.

According to the national fire danger rating system posted at the Maine Forest Service Web site, all of Maine is at Class 3 – high fire danger – which will make it difficult to obtain burn permits.

“Many town fire wardens don’t issue them if it’s a Class 3 day or higher, and we’ve been at a Class 3 for the last four or five days in a row,” said Nelson.

“Everyone is enjoying the spring weather, and that’s a good thing, but they just really need to be patient when it comes to burning their debris and brush piles,” he said.

Firefighters were alerted by railroad employees just before 1:30 p.m. that a wind-fueled fire had started in Pittsfield along the railroad tracks between a dairy farm on the Barney Cianchette Road and the northbound lanes of Interstate 95. No homes were ever in danger.

Firefighters from six towns responded to the call – Pittsfield, Canaan, Detroit, Newport, Hartland and St. Albans. Shortly afterward, however, Maine State Trooper Christopher Carr reported that flames could be seen in the woods by the northbound interstate rest area in Pittsfield, and trucks and firefighters were diverted there.

Carr said that at one point visibility across the interstate was zero and embers and ashes were thick in the blowing smoke. Shortly afterward, the wind shifted and the fire began moving parallel to the interstate.

Firefighters donned water-filled backpacks and walked into the woods to push the fire back toward the firefighters advancing from the other side.

A forestry helicopter was called in and made dozens of trips back and forth between the fire and the Sebasticook River, picking up water and dropping it on the blaze. Firefighters had the blaze under control after about four hours but remained on the scene for several more hours putting out smoldering areas.

One firefighter was taken to Sebasticook Valley Hospital in midafternoon and treated for heat exhaustion.

At Clinton, Assistant Chief Rick Barton said his firefighters also were alerted by railroad employees, who had been doing maintenance at the McAllister Road crossing, that three cars were burning.

The train stopped at the crossing, allowing firefighters easy access, Barton said. The wood debris in the cars was destroyed, Barton said, but the cars were undamaged.

Tips for burning outdoors:

. Never burn on windy days.

. Keep fire reasonably small, make sure it is no larger than you can control if a problem should arise.

. Avoid burning near buildings.

. Make sure you get a burn permit from the local town fire warden.

. When you get a permit, make sure you follow the criteria on it.

. Do not leave a fire unattended.

. Make sure the fire is completely out before you leave it.

National Fire Danger Rating System

High, Class 3, is defined as:

. All fine dead fuels ignite readily and fires start easily from most causes.

. Unattended brush and campfires are likely to escape.

. Fires spread rapidly and short-distance spotting is common.

. High-intensity burning may develop on slopes, in concentrations of fine fuel.

. Fires may become serious and their control difficult, unless they are hit hard and fast while still small.