WOODSTOCK — The cause of a fire that burned across 10 acres in Woodstock this week is still unknown, but the Maine Forest Service believes a “human element” may have been involved and is looking for information from anyone who saw people in the area Wednesday.
Kent Nelson of the Maine Forest Service said they want to know if anyone saw anything suspicious or out of the ordinary that day.
“This time of year, we don’t have fires caused by lightning,” Nelson said. “All of them are human caused.” He said the forest service wants to know if people saw anyone there.
A dozen firefighters and the Maine Forest Service took four hours to extinguish the fire on a mountainside off Perkins Valley Road. Helicopters dumped water on the blaze, and several firefighters were treated at the scene for heat-related issues after walking up the mountainside to attack the fire.
The operation included firefighters from Woodstock, Greenwood, West Paris, Paris, Norway, Oxford, Mexico, Rumford, Dixfield, Peru, Andover and other towns.
Nelson said the fire, and its place of origin, are still under investigation, but said rangers didn’t see a campsite or any obvious starting point. He said accidental causes, like cigarettes or a compost pile combustion, are unlikely with current weather conditions.
However, the Forest Service isn’t calling it arson yet. “It could have been kids playing.” Juveniles were found to be behind recent woods fires in Norway and Otisfield.
Nelson said someone might have seen a vehicle in the woods or heard someone lighting fireworks. He said that if anyone saw anything suspicious near the fire that day, please have them call the Forest Service dispatch line at 1-800-750-9777.
treaves@sunjournal.com
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- A helicopter dumps water on a 10-acre woods fire off Perkins Valley Road in Woodstock on May 1. The cause is being investigated.
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