By Rebecca Goldfine,Staff Writer

WOODSTOCK – Ashes thrown onto a manure pile are thought to have started a fire that burned a Chevy Suburban SUV and two acres of forest Wednesday.

Several fire departments responded to a farm at 33 Harbor Road farm to put out a brush fire. With dry conditions prevailing, it could have quickly escalated, officials said.

“It’s extremely dry and tender,” fire Chief Geff Inman said.

He counted among the damaged property a couple acres of scorched woods and two or three vehicles.

Grace Hurd said the ashes from her wood stove were cold when they were dumped on the pile, a common habit for the family.

“We dumped ashes there all winter,” she said.

When her son started to hear tires explode around 1:30 p.m., he ran to the flames and attempted to control them with a garden hose until fire trucks arrived. The fire started close to a barn, but the wind carried it in the opposite direction.

Forest Warden Tom Lillis arrived to look over the blackened area, a long strip at the edge of Hurd’s lawn extending a shallow distance into the woods.

“Early spring season is when we see the fires,” he said, because people are not aware how dry the ground is.

Hurd said that the 1990 Suburban belonged to her daughter, who kept private papers and personal belongings in it.

A pinto gelding and a billy goat were visibly rattled by the commotion from the firefighters.

“They’re stirred up,” Hurd said. “They’re tearing up the pasture all up there.”