Fire crews battle persistent Georgetown brush fire
Aug. 21—GEORGETOWN — Fire crews throughout the weekend continued battling a brush fire that was first reported Thursday in the Georgetown-Rowley State Forest.
Large plumes of billowy smoke could be see high above Interstate 95 and could be smelled as far away as Newburyport and Salisbury. On Sunday morning, Newburyport first responders sent out an alert informing residents the smell of smoke was due to the active brush fire and not due to a local fire.
On Thursday, Aug. 18, at approximately 6 p.m., a brush fire was reported by the State Police Air Wing, which was flying over the area of the Georgetown-Rowley State Forest. The fire was located north of the Pingree Farm Access Road along Trail 30. The State Police unit landed at Penn Brook School and picked up Georgetown firefighters so they could get a better look at the fire from above.
Companies spent several hours extinguishing the fire and wetting down hot spots Thursday evening.
On Friday, Aug. 19, at approximately 11:25 a.m., firefighters were called back to the same area of the state forest because the fire flared back up in the dry conditions. This fire is in the same vicinity of a previous fire which the department had been battling several weeks ago. This fire will likely continue to smolder deep in the ground until the area receives some substantial rain, according to the Georgetown Fire Department.
Drought conditions throughout the region have left brush and wooded areas extremely dry and prone to fire. Drought conditions have also created conditions in which fires can burn more deeply into the ground, making overhauling burned areas and preventing flareups that are far more labor intensive, a Georgetown fire official said.
Acting Georgetown Fire Chief Chuck Savage thanked mutual aid partners, the State Police Air Wing, and the Newbury, West Newbury and Rowley fire departments for their assistance.
There are more than 1,000 acres in the popular Georgetown-Rowley State Forest with parking located off Pingree Farm Road.
Dave Rogers is the editor of the Daily News of Newburyport. Email him at: drogers@newburyportnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @drogers41008.
Dave Rogers is the editor of the Daily News of Newburyport. Email him at: drogers@newburyportnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @drogers41008.
