Local News

Firefighters Battle 4-Alarm Brush Fire For Hours

TOWSON, Md. (WJZ) ― As the state battles its month-long drought, weather conditions are taking a toll on firefighters sent to wipe out brush fires.

Gigi Barnett reports firefighters saw that first-hand as they tried to put out a brush fire in in the Loch Raven reservoir Saturday night.

An overcast sky, whipping winds and sheets of rain became allies in the fight against a fast-moving brush fire that raced through the Loch Raven reservoir Saturday night near Manor and Morgan Mill roads.

"Our initial crews arrived and reported several acres of densely wooded area on fire, which included the brush and actually adjacent trees," said Baltimore County Fire Chief Michael Robinson.

With those acres burning deep in the reservoir, firefighters used helicopters and all-terrain vehicles.

"The biggest challenge is that we have to access it remotely, which means the utilization of 4-wheel drive vehicles," Robinson said.

Residents nearby heard the fire crews rushing to the scene.

"I just wonder how it started," said Mike Baron.  "Maybe a cigarette butt or something."

By Sunday afternoon, the fire crews had cleared out, waiting for the rain to finish the job.

With a statewide drought for months, firefighters say weather conditions are perfect for this type of fire.

"This makes very good fire conditions, particularly with that low humidity.  It's the kind of fire, with the prevailing winds that we had, that makes considerable headway very rapidly," Robinson said.

But Maryland isn't the only state battling drought and brush fires.  There was one in Colorado Tuesday.  Firefighters are blaming a pile of trash that burned out of control.  The blaze killed two firefighters, causing firefighters here to take extra precautions.

"With the temperature of today, the firefighters have to work very cautiously and the exhaustion factor is certainly there.  As they get fatigued, we have to rotate crews on an ongoing basis," Robinson said Saturday.

The cause of the Loch Raven fire is still under investigation.

Firefighters say no homes or residents were in danger during the fire.

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