Brush fire burns 50 acres in Brimfield

BRIMFIELD, Mass (WWLP) - More than 30 fire rescue crews continue to battle a brush fire that has consumed 50 acres of land in Brimfield Wednesday.

The brush fire has been burning since noon Wednesday in an area between Holland and Paige Hill Roads.

Crews will be working through the night in Brimfield to make sure the smoldering embers aren't whipped back into flames by these gustwinds. "It's been an incredible year. After a while you kind of get used to having things go wrong," said Jerry Feldeisen.

The town of Brimfield is one area that's already seen its fair share of destruction. "We were just talking about all the things that have happened this year, the hurricane, the tornado, the snowstorm and the snow last year, the earthquake, and it's like, what's next, fire and brimstone? And then this happened," said Kevin Moore.

An area that once looked like a forest, ripped apart by the June 1st tornado, now just a barren field of debris. A tinderbox that ignited Wednesday morning when neighbors say someone's controlled burn raged out of control.

"They're more thinking about themselves than they are the rest of the neighborhood. This whole piece you see here is about 50 acres of just dry timber just waiting to catch on fire."

As the brush fire burned out of control firefighters came from 30 departments across Massachusetts and Connecticut, fighting two major challenges, heavy winds and a lack of water supply.

Helicopters from the National Guard dumped water from a nearby reservoir, while firefighters pumped water from Mill Brook.

By 9 o'clock Wednesday night the fire had burned through 50 acres. Not touching any houses yet, but still too close for comfort.

After a year of natural disasters that've defied imagination, many here say it's hard to imagine, what else?

You do not have to live in dry, mountain regions of the West to be threatened by brush fires This wasn't the only large fire of its kind Wednesday, we're told there were others in New Salem Mass, Andover and Warren, New Hampshire.

The National Weather Service issued a Red Flag Warning for western Massachusetts Wednesday. Due to high wind gusts, and low-relative humidity, there is a high danger of outdoor fires getting out of control.

People here in New England are learning firsthand the seriousness of these Red Flag Warnings.

A lot of homeowners in Brimfield told 22News they'll be sleeping with one eye open.