WINSLOW — A brush fire that started near a playground Saturday afternoon is being investigated by the Maine Forest Service, fire officials said Saturday.

The fire was reported at around 2:35 p.m. on Dallaire Street across from the Fort Halifax Park, said Winslow Fire Department Capt. Kevin Fredette.

The cause was unknown but the fire was unusual and hard to fight because the area contained dead, dry bamboo and spread fast, said Fredette.

The area is also full of thorny bushes that made the fire hard to get to, he said.

Firefighters were able to contain the fire to about a quarter of an acre but it took them about an hour to extinguish the flames, said Fredette.

The Winslow Fire Department is not issuing burn permits right now because the weather has been so dry, he said.

According to the Maine Forest Service, the risk for wildfires is very high for the entire state right now.

Brush fires also were reported in Clinton and Oakland on Saturday, said Fredette.

“It hasn’t rained and it is too dry. People are still asking for permits but it just isn’t smart,” he said.

Rachel Ohm — 612-2368
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