Fire burned several acres of woods and wetlands late Wednesday afternoon in Belgrade in an area between Route 135 and railroad tracks and forced firefighters to make a return trip at 5 a.m. Thursday when it kept smoldering.
William Pulsifer, deputy chief of the Belgrade Fire Department, said firefighters from surrounding towns, including Mount Vernon, Smithfield, Oakland, Rome and Sidney helped battle the woods blaze.
No one was hurt and no buildings were threatened, he said. The fire was reported after 4 p.m.
A forest ranger checked on the blaze and a helicopter was called in to survey the area.
“They said it wouldn’t be practical for them to drop any water,” Pulsifer said.
Pulsifer said much of the firefighting was done with portable pumps. “Luckily, part of the Belgrade Stream tributary went up where the fire was,” he said.
Firefighters used Raccoon Lane and other dirt roads to reach the site. “We had access to several four-wheelers that would take people back and forth,” he said.
Pulsifer said it was unclear what started it, but apparently a four-wheeler had been in the area and might have caught fire.
Firefighters spend four to five hours there Wednesday evening.
Betty Adams — 621-5631
Twitter: @betadams
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