SHAWTOWN TOWNSHIP – Conditions were a little bit better Wednesday as firefighters continued their exhausting fight to control a fire that is spreading through this remote Piscataquis County township.

A total of 90 acres have been destroyed in Shawtown Township since the fire was reported at about 1:30 p.m. Monday, according to Jim Downie, Maine Forest Service spokesman. The total acreage lost was determined Wednesday using global satellite technology.

The fire on the side of Black Pinnacle Ridge, some 10 miles east of Kokadjo, is near a constant water source and is contained in what fire lines it was possible to construct, but by no means is fully controlled, Downie said Wednesday.

He expects firefighters will remain on the scene for several more days. Two helicopters have been assisting firefighters in battling the blaze.

On Tuesday, a CL415, a large fixed-wing airplane out of Quebec, helped to control the fire. The participation of the CL415 was arranged through the Northeast Forest Fire Compact.

No cause has yet been determined for the Shawtown fire and it is still under investigation, Downie said.

Downie said about 40 firefighters remained on the scene of a fire in Oxbow Township where about 30 acres have burned. Two helicopters are assisting a ground crew in fighting the fire. This fire likely started by a machine, he said. Another fire in Township 9, Range 8 caused by a lightning strike burned three acres this week.

This year to date, there have been 56 arson fires that have burned a total of 100 acres; 165 fires caused by lightning that consumed about 250 acres, 107 fires caused by burning debris, 85 machine-caused fires, and 56 fires that started as campfires, according to Downie.

No one has been prosecuted for the arson fires, which are difficult to prove, Downie said. Anyone with information about a forest fire should call the department’s toll-free hot line at (800) 987-0257.