Dedham fire burns 6 acres of forest

DEDHAM – A forest fire off Beech Hill Pond Road burned more than 6 acres of a private wood lot Wednesday and could foreshadow more forest fires if weather conditions remain dry, according to a state official.

District Ranger Jeff Currier of the Maine Forest Service said late Wednesday that officials had not determined how the blaze started. Firefighters are expected to remain at the scene for several days as they make sure all the hot spots are out and may learn the cause as they conduct further interviews, he said.

“Sometimes with these logging operations a spark will fly off,” he said, referring to equipment as it comes into contact with rocks. “That’s what is a little perplexing. Apparently there was no one here today.”

The fire was reported shortly before 2 p.m. by a passer-by who saw smoke rising out of the woods near the southern end of Mountainy Pond. Currier said there have been no recent reports of lightning strikes in the area, but that if conditions remain dry, lightning and other causes could spur a spate of forest fires around the state. He said the fire likely burned for several hours before it was reported.

“Wind was definitely a factor, but really it’s the overall conditions,” he said. “All it takes is a two-week stretch [without rain] and we start having fires across the state.”

There is no reason to think the fire was intentionally set, according to Currier.

He said the fire did not threaten any homes or structures, the nearest of which is more than a half-mile away, close to Green Lake. But, with the conditions, it easily could have spread to become a significant forest fire of more than a “couple hundred” acres, he said.

Currier said he was not sure who owned the land but estimated it was part of a parcel of more than 100 acres.

“This is someone’s bank account burning up,” he said, gesturing toward the trees.

A Maine Forest Service helicopter was called in to help douse the blaze while firefighters cut off the flames as they advanced through the woods. Late in the afternoon, about 18 firefighters from Dedham, Ellsworth and Holden, as well as three forest service rangers, were at the fire scene putting out hot spots while the same helicopter flew noisily overhead surveying the scene. Firefighters were using a backhoe to create a firebreak through the trees to help prevent the fire from spreading overnight.

Currier said the forest service expects to conduct air detection flights over the area today and to get firefighting help on the ground from inmates at the Down East Correctional Facility in Bucks Harbor.

“We’re hopeful this isn’t repeated over the next few days,” the ranger said.