TURNER — Fire crews from several towns battled a brush fire Thursday afternoon after flames spread out of control along Buckfield Road, near Martin Stream Campground.
Turner firefighters were sent to the area of 408 Buckfield Road, which is also Route 117, shortly after 3 p.m. for a report of fast-spreading flames, with winds pushing the fire up a ridge.
The first crews on scene reported flames were moving up a hill and “traveling at a high rate of speed.” Calls for mutual aid went out and towns including Auburn and Oxford sent crews to help battle the blaze.
The Maine Forestry Service also joined the effort with a helicopter to fight the flames from above.
Hours after the fire was reported, crews were still trying to surround the flames and snuff them out. At about 3:15 p.m., a firefighter reported the flames had jumped over Chase Road, a short, dead-end street near Martin Stream.
The area, just down Route 117 from Ricker Hill Orchards, is heavily wooded. Fire crews were also contending with water shortages as they battled the flames.
Several people reported they could see smoke from the fires from nearby towns, including Buckfield, Auburn and Greene.
A section of Route 117 was closed as the firefighting effort continued. Androscoggin County Sheriff’s deputies were detouring traffic at Route 124 on one end, Weston Road on the other.
Several additional departments, including those from Canton, Mexico, Minot and Livermore, were called in to help battle the blaze.
At about 5:30 p.m., it was reported the flames had been contained, with roughly 12 acres affected by the fire. Crews remained at the scene, snuffing out hot spots and cleaning up.
Video from the fire can be seen on the Buckfield Fire Department Facebook page.
With brisk winds and dry conditions in the area, the Maine Forest Service had listed the risk of wildfire Thursday as high.
Copy the Story LinkSend questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
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.