NEWRY — A fire that burned 2½ acres of forest Monday night was caused by a person, Assistant Fire Chief Alan Fleet said Tuesday.

The fire was reported off Thunder Ridge Road at about 6:30 p.m. and firefighters were still putting out hot spots Tuesday, he said.

Fleet said a representative of the Maine Forestry Service investigated Tuesday and verified it was started by a human but how was not determined.

“There was so much damage where (the fire) started, we can’t tell if it was a cigarette or a match or something, but it was definitely human caused,” Fleet said.

Fleet said there were still 10 to 15 hot spots Tuesday, which Newry, Woodstock and Greenwood fire departments worked to put out.

The fire near a housing development, but the flames didn’t get closer than 50 yards to the nearest building. There was no property damage or personal injury, according to Fleet. 

It took 250 to 300 gallons of water to completely put out the fire Tuesday, in addition to the 7,000 to 8,000 gallons used Monday evening, he said.


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.