OXFORD — Fire officials say a passing train is the likely cause of a series of brush fires that burned across a field Wednesday afternoon near the airport.
The timing of the fires could have been better; with a bigger fire burning in Woodstock, crews were shorthanded when the field went up in flames shortly after noon.
Oxford firefighters called for help from nearby towns, including Mechanic Falls, Poland, Norway and Casco.
Oxford fire officials said the fire was limited to a field, but it took several hours for them to snuff it out. Some of their firefighters had been sent to Woodstock, where crews from about 10 towns battled a large forest fire about half a mile into the woods from Perkins Valley Road.
That blaze was reported at about 11:30 a.m. The cause was unknown.
Wednesday’s dry, 70-degree weather conditions were deemed a Class 4 fire danger by the Maine Forest Service. Class 5 is the highest danger.
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