A helicopter carrying water to a wildfire streaks across the sky as Woolwich residents look on.
by Gina Hamilton
photo by Brandon Carter
Coastal Journal staff
WOOLWICH - Last Thursday was a hot, dry day. So hot, and so dry, that
two brush fires raged out of control for a time within sight of the
Kennebec River.
Just a few hours before Chop Point School held its graduation ceremony, a four-acre fire consumed part of that campus’ forest lands. One of its senior students, David Kelley, was fighting the fire. His department, the Woolwich Fire Department, was one of six area fire departments called to fight the blaze.
With the aid of helicopters, the fire was extinguished in time for the school to hold its commencement exercises at 6:30 that evening.
When the blaze was reported at 2:44 in the afternoon, the class was at Reid State Park for its annual trip. None of the students or the teachers were injured. “Thank goodness we weren’t here,” said Peter Willard, headmaster of Chop Point.
That smoky blaze wasn’t the only one that day. Another, two-acre fire consumed part of High Street in Bath.
Four fire departments responded to that fire, which was finally knocked down around 10 p.m. That fire was located on the 1500 block of High.
The rain over the weekend had a cooling effect on the season. Chief Hinds from the Bath Fire Department said that the fire danger had gone from a 4 of 5 on Thursday to a 2 after the rainy weekend.
“We are starting to allow fire permits again today,” he said on Tuesday morning.
Still, with summer underway, the threat of wildfires will rise again.
Fire officials strongly urge people who live adjacent to wild areas to maintain a “defensible perimeter” around any structure, at least 30 feet of irrigated or non-botanical land. For instance, you might have an irrigated lawn and garden around your house, or you may choose to use patio paving stones, sand, or other non-botanical material.
Should a fire start in your area, after notifying the fire department, and only if you have time, water down your garden and roofs to prevent sparks from catching fire.
Other low-cost tips include:
• Move your firewood pile out of your home’s defensible space
• Clean your roof and gutters of leaves and pine needles (best done in October).
• Clear the view of your house number so it can be easily seen from the street.
• Put a hose (at least 100’ long) on a rack and attach it to an outside faucet.
• Trim all tree branches that overhang your house.
• Trim all tree branches from within 20’ of all chimneys.
• Remove trees along the driveway to make it 12’ wide.
• Prune branches over hanging the driveway to have 14’ overhead clearance.
• Maintain a green lawn (or nonbotanical) for 30’ around your home.
• If new homes are still being built in your area, talk to the developer and local zoning officials about building standards.
• Plan and discuss an escape plan with your family. Have a practice drill. Include your pets.
• Get involved with your community’s disaster mitigation plans.
• Check your fire extinguishers. Are they still charged? Are they easy to get to in an emergency? Does everyone in the family know where they are and how to use them?
• Clear dead wood and dense flammable vegetation from your home’s defensible space.
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