By Olivia Drake, HVFC Information Officer.
(April 16, 2023)—Members of Haddam Volunteer Fire Company continue to battle brush fires and extinguish illegal burns this week.
The National Weather Service has released a red flag warning for the entire state, which is issued when conditions can prompt fire to spread rapidly and become difficult to extinguish. In addition, the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection reports a “very high” forest fire danger for all counties.
At 1:15 today, April 15, the Haddam Fire Marshal and Connecticut State Police requested the help of Haddam Volunteer Fire Company to extinguish an unauthorized burn at a residence on Killingworth Road. This was the homeowners’ second offence this week and the CSP issued them a ticket.
At 4:25 p.m. on April 13, and again at 3 p.m. on April 14, HVFC was called as mutual aid to Middletown to assist with extinguishing a nearly 3-acre brush fire that broke out near River Road and Freeman Road in Middletown. Crews from Haddam brought Brush 12-13, Brush-11, Tanker 2-13, and UTV-13 to the scene.
Also, at 9:30 p.m. on April 13, crews were dispatched to a residence on Teaberry Court where they encountered a small, backyard campfire burning. The homeowners extinguished the fire themselves using a garden hose.
At 1 p.m. on April 12, crews responded to Parmelee Road where a dead tree had fallen on a power line, ignited, and fell to the ground. This caused a brush fire which spread to approximately 50-by-50-feet. Firefighters worked for about two hours to extinguish the fire.
And at 7:30 p.m. on April 12, Haddam Fire was dispatched to the 600 Block of Saybrook Road for a reported unknown fire near the Connecticut River. Crews encountered a 10-by-10-foot cleared area with a camping fire in the center. Fishermen were using the fire to reportedly manage mosquitos. HVFC extinguished the fire and the individuals were warned not to reignite due to high fire dangers.
So far this month, Haddam Fire has responded to more than a dozen calls for unauthorized burning, forest, and brush fires.
Photos by Olivia Drake.
