A large brush fire broke out on Lamentation Mountain in Berlin, Connecticut on Monday evening. A very dry fall this far combined with typical autumn wind has allowed the fire to spread very quickly. As of Monday evening, the fire has consumed upwards of 90 acres. Officials have said it may take days for the fire to be fully extinguished. Crews may stay on scene through the weekend.
No homes are currently in danger and the biggest impact to nearby communities on Tuesday has been from the plume of smoke reducing air quality. Crews haven't used much water on the fire as of yet. Instead, crews have been focusing on containing the fire around the edges with the use of backfires. These backfires are set to burn up new fuel so the brush fire won't have the fuel to burn once it reaches the area.
With that said, the Connecticut National Guard and a team from the Maine Forestry Division will deploy helicopters to drop water on the fire on Wednesday and Thursday. The crews are expected to use a Chinook and Black Hawk helicopter for the water drops. The FAA issued a flight restriction over the fire to keep drones out of the area. This is likely to make way for the incoming helicopters. The Maine crew is expected to arrive Wednesday morning as the Connecticut National Guard prepares their helicopters.
The fire was ignited in very steep and rocky terrain, making the fight to contain it more of a challenge. This limited what fire crews could do overnight Monday into Tuesday morning. The cause of the fire remains undermined as of Tuesday evening.
Throughout Tuesday, firefighters have been using off-road vehicles in an attempt to reach the fire as it burns across difficult terrain. There was a roll-over crash involving an ATV being used by firefighters. Tragically, one firefighter has been reported to have been killed in this crash Tuesday evening. Two other firefighters sustained minor injuries in the crash.
New England has seen a very dry fall thus far. This has led to increased fire risk across the region. A much smaller brush fire broke out in Vernon, Connecticut on Monday which has since been knocked down. A brush fire broke out Sunday afternoon in Hampden, Massachusetts, which was knocked down after a five hour battle.
A red flag warning has been issued for all of Connecticut for Wednesday. Relative humidity and dew points will increase on Wednesday ahead of a cold front on a southerly flow, but due to the dry and breezy (20-30mph gusts) conditions expected, fire risk will continue to be elevated across the region, especially western New England, away from the more moist marine air.
A series of cold fronts will traverse New England through the next week, but showers activity will likely be very limited with them, with most areas unlikely to see measurable rainfall. Generally more rainfall is expected across northern New England with southern New England seeing more isolated activity. Some widely scattered showers are possible Wednesday night to Thursday in Connecticut with a generally better chance with the weekend front, though it likely still won't be very much.
Below: Weather Prediction Center 7-day rainfall forecast as of Tuesday evening:
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