Smoke on Mt. Major

[Slickcraft]

I went by about 11:00 am, a few small smoky areas. The parking lot was taken over by fire fighter vehicles. I can't imagine hiking up in shorts and a T-shirt today. Those boys and girls have full gear on and equipment to carry.

Probable another cigarette butt deal.

This from the Citizen:

Article published Jul 7, 2010
Stubborn fire on Mount Major
Alton:

Several local fire departments have been called to help fight a stubborn brush fire on Mount Major with the first alarm being called late Tuesday morning during one of the hottest days of the summer thus far.

Fire crews were held at the base of the mountain for the greater part of the afternoon as helicopters were called in from the southern part of the state to help extinguish what was a four-acre fire that expanded to six acres in the latter part of the afternoon.

Steep mountain terrain at the base of the fire made it difficult for crews to get to the fire, which was spreading slowly in some places along the mountainside and quicker in others.

The fire was being attacked from above by a helicopter that was dumping large buckets of water, drawn from a beaver pond located nearby.

Reports of smoke on the south side of Mount Major came into dispatch around noon on Tuesday. On scene below were multiple fire departments as well as state forestry officials comprised of around 40 personnel, including firefighters, EMTs and other public safety personnel.
Forest Ranger Matt Apgar from the Fire Protection Bureau of the Division of Forests and Lands said crews were ready to respond to the fire around 1 p.m., but getting to the fire was not easy since they were not sure how to get to it. Crews were kept at the base of the mountain in a rehab area to keep them hydrated in the hot weather.

"The heat is taking a toll; we've three cases of heat exhaustion already," Apgar said around 5 p.m.

Apgar said there were multiple crews in the woods trying to map out the best route to the fire as well as to determine what exactly is burning. Identifying what material is burning can assist crews in knowing how long they may have to be on the mountain.

Overhead, a Dartmouth-Hitchcock Air Response Team helicopter was scouting out the exact position of the fire and relaying the GPS coordinates. An all-terrain vehicle was sent up the mountain and tanker trucks were waiting in the parking lot at the base.

By early evening, crews had established a trail to the fire and personnel began to ascend the mountain with small apparatus and hand tools.

"We're making progress with the fire," said Apgar. "The terrain is very steep. There is no good way of getting to the fire."

He said additional units had not been mobilized yet at early evening, but there were several deputy forest wardens on scene assisting the operation.

Crews will remain on the mountain overnight to monitor the fire and patrol the area today to make sure the fire does not spread to a larger area.

Hiking the north face of the mountain was Tim Hoffman from Townsend, Mass., who said he saw white smoke from the summit.

"We first saw some white smoke and then it just got worse and worse," said Hoffman. "From the summit it looked like it was burning pretty good."

During his descent, about halfway down, a cloud of light smoke drifted across the trail. It took him about an hour to reach the base, at which point he noticed all the emergency personnel.

Up for the long weekend was Brian Lever from West Medford, Mass. He was visiting his cousin, Lauren Fahlbeck, in Alton Bay, when he was sitting along the water and smelled the scent of smoke.

"I was just sitting here and all of a sudden it smelled like someone was having a campfire," said Lever. "I thought it was kind of odd to be having a campfire, given how hot it is out."

Fahlbeck had just returned from a jetski ride when she reported seeing the fire increase in size.

"It looked like there were two fires on the mountain at one point," she said.

Responding to the scene were fire departments from Alton, Barnstead, Farmington, Gilford and Gilmanton. Additional calls went to all available personnel from Laconia and other area departments as the night went on.

A helicopter was called in from JBI Helicopter Services in Pembroke.

Crews were continuing to work into the evening hours to bring the fire under control.