ORANGE, Mass. (WWLP) – Hiking trails in Orange will be closed on Tuesday due to an ongoing brush fire that started Monday evening.
Fire officials in Orange said Mountain Road and Tully Mountain hiking trails will be closed due to the fire, but property owners along Mountain Road will be allowed access.
A resident reported the brush fire moving towards the top of Tully Mountain just after 4 p.m. Crews arrived to find a smoke condition that was visible from the area of the ledges they hiked to the top of the mountain where they located a 50×50 area of the burn.
Responding crews were able to contain the fire, however, the remote location, difficult access to the fire areas, the hot weather and crews having to hike water up the mountain, caused them to call for mutual aid from New Salem Fire, Athol Fire, and State 9 District Fire Units. The Phillipston Fire Department provided station coverage.
As crews returned to the brush fire Tuesday, they were able to see the fire continued overnight within a contained area. The Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife has closed all of their trails that lead to Tully Mountain as crews work to put out the brush fire.
Tuesday afternoon, the National Guard helicopter will also assist in drawing water from Tully Pond and perform ‘water drops’ on the affected area. The helicopter may cause the public’s attention therefore drivers are asked to be care and not to stop suddenly in traffic.
22News will keep you updated as more information becomes available.
