A FIRE caused by a failed isolator on a high tension power line burned 6.2 acres off Mountain Road in Woolwich Tuesday afternoon.
A woods fire was ignited by equipment failure on high tension power lines in Woolwich Tuesday afternoon, keeping firefighters from multiple departments busy for several hours.
The Woolwich Fire Department was called to power lines near 490 Mountain Road just before 2 p.m. Woolwich Fire Chief Michael Demers said the fire started when an isolator on one of the high tension lines failed.
The person who reported the fire called 911 and said he heard a loud bang approximately 30 minutes before he noticed smoke over the hill of the power lines.
Demers said the fire spread quickly due to the wind and dryness of the ground surface. Much of the ground was still wet from the winter, though, helping to prevent the fire from spreading further.
Demers estimated 6.2 acres burned. No structures were damaged.
The fire was more than a quarter of a mile from the road and only accessible by trails that run along the power lines.
Demers said firefighters were able to get four-wheeldrive brush trucks from Dresden, Wiscasset and Richmond to the scene. They also used off-road utility task vehicles from Dresden, Alna, Boothbay and Lincoln County Emergency Management Agency.
In total, there were 50 firefighters on scene with nine fire departments from as far away as Newcastle. The Maine State Forest Service, Sagadahoc County Emergency Management Agency and Central Maine Power Co., also responded.
Crews were on the scene for approximately six hours.
dmoore@timesrecord.com
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