By Olivia Drake, HVFC Information Officer.
(April 12, 2023)—Haddam Volunteer Fire Company, with mutual aid support from South Fire District Firefighters IAFF Local 3918 and Killingworth Volunteer Fire Co. responded to another brush fire Tuesday (April 11) in Higganum.
At 3:10 p.m. crews were dispatched to a residence on High Street in Higganum for a reported brush fire in the backyard. Upon arrival, firefighters noted the fire was spreading rapidly into a forested area due to high wind and dry conditions. Crews from Haddam and South Fire District accessed the two-acre wide fire from High Street and a long driveway on Saybrook Road.
Killingworth VFC ran water supply operations from a nearby drafting site on the Higganum Reservoir. More than 15,000 gallons of water was needed at the scene.
At 8:30 p.m., HVFC returned to a residence on Saybrook Road where two trees had reignited and were burning. Crews worked for another hour to extinguish the burning trees.
The Haddam Fire Marshal determined that the fire started from an ember of a previous fire on High Street that wasn’t completely extinguished.
As a friendly reminder to all residents, open burning is NOT permitted when the fire danger is high, very high, or extreme. Not only is this illegal, but it also puts you, your neighbors, and our emergency responders at risk. We are currently in “very high” conditions with additional Red Flag Warnings posted. Please help by not burning and reporting any fire you see.
Haddam Fire thanks our mutual aid companies for their assistance.
