York Town News
Lightning sparks brushfire in remote Mount Agamenticus area
By Melissa Wood
YORK - On Friday afternoon and evening, firefighters worked to find and extinguish a fire on the top of Mount Agamenticus's Third Hill, an area that is thickly wooded and accessible only by trails.
York Beach Fire Capt. Mark Gay said the fire was started when lightning struck a pine tree on Mount Agamenticus's Third Hill.
A person on Mount Agamenticus's observation deck first spotted the smoke on Friday afternoon, June 22, said Gay, but it wasn't easy for firefighters to find the fire and bring equipment and water in because it is an estimated mile and a half from the nearest roadway.
"It took about three hours to find it, and it affected about four acres" said Gay.
Firefighters strung out over 5,000 feet of forestry line - a lightweight but durable hose used to fight forest or brush fires in areas with rugged terrain - in a relay of two trucks and a portable pump to bring the water to the top of Third Hill.
Gay said firefighters were able to extinguish the perimeter of the fire by Friday evening so it could no longer spread. However, at least a dozen area fire departments returned to the area on Saturday to search for any hot spots that remained.
"It was quite windy on Saturday," said Gay, who added that numerous people with four-wheelers canvassed the area.
Gay said firefighters continued to visit the site each day through Tuesday afternoon to check for any remaining hot spots in the area.
