The Greene Fire Department and several neighboring agencies responded to fires along the railroad tracks believed to have been started by a passing train.

The first fire started about a half-mile south of Sullivan Road in Greene along the railroad tracks and spread to debris on the sides of the tracks and created spot fires farther up the rail line as the train passed by from College Road to Sullivan Road and then from College Road to Sawyer Road, according to Greene fire Chief John Soucy.

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About 60 to 70 firefighters responded to the report of fire at about 11:30 a.m., he said.

The Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office posted on its Facebook page asking people to stay away from the area because roads were closed.

Soucy said more than eight fire departments responded and some were still on the scene at about 4 p.m. as they worked to extinguish spot fires.

The Maine Forest Service had two helicopters dropping water from the air and continued to do so throughout the day.

The temperature in Greene on Tuesday afternoon exceeded 90 degrees, with wind gusts up to 21 mph, according to weather.com.

The Maine Forest Service will conduct the investigation into the fire, Soucy said. It was a mix of brush, wood and debris that caught fire, fanned by the wind. He didn’t know if the cause was sparks from the train or something else, such as a build-up of carbon from the passing train, he said.

He said it was not known how much area was burned.

People who have houses in the area posted on a Greene Facebook page that they were nervous the fire would reach their properties, but firefighters kept it from doing so, and no injuries were reported, according to Soucy.

Staff Photographer Russ Dillingham contributed to the story.