A brush fire along Commercial Street in Portland on Monday spread into a parking lot and damaged at least two cars, including this one, which appeared destroyed. Ben McCanna/Staff Photographer

Portland firefighters extinguished a brush fire Monday afternoon – the second in two weeks – that damaged two cars in the Ocean Gateway parking lot.

The fire began near the corner of Franklin and Commercial streets but was prevented from spreading to nearby buildings. The flames were put out and the scene was “under control” as of 2 p.m. Monday, department spokesperson Sean Donaghue said.

No one was injured, but one car was severely burned and the other had minor damage, he said.

Donaghue said it was a very “nonstandard” call for Portland, but given the recent windy and dry conditions, the area has seen more brush fires.

An area at the other end of Commercial Street was the scene of another brush fire about two weeks ago. The half-acre fire in the West End was also a product of Maine’s abnormally dry conditions.

Meteorologist Derek Schroeter, of the National Weather Service office in Gray, said Monday that the fire risk is higher because of low rainfall, low relative humidity and wind. The Maine Forest Service reported Portland’s fire risk as “high” for Monday.

Portland is having its driest fall to date so far, in line with many New England observation sites, Schroeter said. The city has received 3.73 inches of rain since Sept. 1 – 7.4 inches below normal. And wind picks up dry leaves that fuel fires, he said.

Schroeter recommended checking in with local fire departments before burning anything and monitoring fire risk on the Maine Forest Service website.