Update: Firefighters battle Milton brush fire

Fire crews working the Rochester Forestry truck spray water on the perimeter of a brush fire that charred a large swath deep in woods off Elm Street on Saturday. (Lebanon Voice/Harrison Thorp photo)

MILTON - Milton firefighters battled a pesky brush fire off Elm Street Saturday afternoon, but with the help of mutual were able to get it under control in a couple of hours.

MFD responded to the blaze in the area of 57 Elm St. around 1 p.m. to find a substantial brush fire deep in woods that run all the way south to Route 75.

Officials estimated the blaze to have charred a swath of land 350 feet by 150 feet.

Mutual aid was summoned and Rochester responded with their forestry truck which burrowed through rock and mud to reach closer to the point of attack.

By 3 p.m. crews were dousing the perimeter and calling the fire under control.

Apparently the fire had been smoldering the better part of the morning, according to one Elm Street resident, who said she smelled smoke when she got up and figured someone was burning leaves. When she returned home close to noon after shopping at Walmart, she saw firefighters on scene and realized the blaze may have been going for some time.

The area behind Elm Street where the fire is located is often frequented by ATVers and dirt bike enthusiasts, said the woman who didn't want to give her name.

Milton Fire and Rescue officials were not available for comment on the fire on Saturday. No cause of the blaze has been released.