Wildfires broke out for the second day in a row in the Bradford
area Friday, covering a four-acre section of land in one spot and
an eight-acre section in another.
No one was injured in either fire.
Tim Crissman, second assistant chief of the Rew Volunteer Fire
Department, said four acres of “leaf litter” burned on the hillside
above Lafferty Lane at about 3 p.m. Friday afternoon.
“The fire is being investigated by the Bureau of Forestry,”
Crissman said. “I can’t comment on the cause … on how it got
started.”
Volunteers from four stations – Rew with six people, Hilltop
with three, Otto Township with seven and Derrick City with five –
were on the scene for about two hours. Two people from the Bureau
of Forestry were also on the scene.
Crissman said the owner of the property had yet to be determined
as of late Friday, but added there was no damage to the
property.
The fire “probably killed some brush, but that’s a good thing,”
he said.
The firefighters used four utility trucks, one mini-pumper and
two engines to fight the blaze.
“It’s been dry and with a combination of dry fuels and the wind
today, it was a good day to have wildfires,” Crissman said. “A good
day for fires, but a bad day for us. Throughout the state, there
were many, many fires today.”
He issued a reminder to area residents to be careful of
conditions when thinking about burning anything.
“In the spring, the fire season typically begins later in March
and runs to mid-May. Be very careful when burning on dry or windy
days, or wait until it rains,” Crissman said. “These fires had
potential to get really large. The only thing that helped us was
the change in the weather.
“We were really glad to see the rain,” he added.
Minutes after the Lafferty Lane wildfire, a “brush fire” was
reported near 266 Bolivar Drive by the McKean County Emergency
Dispatch Center.
Reports indicate the fire covered about eight acres and was
started accidentally by someone burning debris.
An eyewitness at the scene Friday afternoon said the fire on
Bolivar Drive swept above homes and through the woods behind 266
Bolivar Drive.
On scene were fire departments from Derrick City, Bradford
Township, Knapp Creek (N.Y.), Limestone (N.Y.), as well as
Limestone ambulance, the Foster Township Police, a crew from
Columbia Gas and Sally Scrivo, Foster Township Emergency Management
Coordinator.
The fire was headed up the hill and looked as though it crested
one rise and was headed up another from Seaward Avenue, the
eyewitness reported.
Neighbors arrived with rakes, shovels and brooms in hand to help
the firefighters. Firefighters used Indian packs to work on small
patches of flames and areas that continued to smolder. All-terrain
vehicles were also utilized to fight the brush fire, reports
indicate.
Derrick City Volunteer Fire Department fire chief Mike Scrivo
was not immediately available Friday night for more information on
the Bolivar Drive fire.
On Thursday, four separate wildfires broke out – one in Mount
Jewett, two in the Kane area and a fourth near Austin.
Reports indicate crews responded to a large wildfire in the
Mount Jewett area at about 11:20 a.m. At about 4:20 p.m., a
wildfire started in the St. Callistus Cemetery, owned by the St.
Callistus Church. About an hour later, fire crews were called out
to JoJo Road for a second wildfire. Then at about 6 p.m., a fourth
wildfire broke out in Keating Summit near Austin, reports
indicate.
