Brush fire danger is extreme; no rain in sight

Milton firefighters battle a brush fire off Piggott Road on Sunday. (Milton Fire photo)

With little rain forecast for the next 10 days and tinder dry conditions, area firefighters are warning residents to be extra vigilant in their compliance with rules prohibiting outside fires and extra cautious in disposal of cigarettes and other smoking materials.

John Bott, a spokesman for the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, said today more than 150 wildfires have been reported statewide since last week due to the dry conditions.

He said most of them were caused by residents burning without a permit or permitted burns that extended beyond the burn point.

He said state officials estimated it would take two inches of rain to ease the danger.

Milton and Lebanon have so far escaped any serious brush fires this spring, but a couple of blazes the past few days serve as a reminder that they can get out of control quickly.

Milton firefighters knocked down a half-acre blaze in the area of Piggott Hill Road off Route 75 on Monday, while Lebanon Fire doused a small blaze in Indian Lake Shore on Sunday.

The Lebanon fire, started in the woods by juveniles who called firefighters when they realized it was spreading, was put out fairly quickly. The youth were given a stern warning from the Fire Ranger, according to Lebanon Fire Chief Skip Wood.

Lebanon today is a Class 3 fire hazard day, which means no burning whatsoever is permitted. In Milton it’s a Class 4 day, an even higher state of alert.

Wood said this time of year there’s always a stretch where fire danger spikes, but he said this year is worse than most.