By Olivia Drake, HVFC.
At 5 p.m. on Sunday, May 16, Haddam Volunteer Fire Company was dispatched to Gunger Hill Road for a reported brush fire. Upon arrival, officers determined additional manpower and water would be needed, so crews from Chester, Killingworth, Durham, Haddam Neck, and East Haddam were requested as mutual aid. Deep River provided station coverage at Haddam.
The fire spread through more than a dozen large logs, a pile of tires, and continued to spread, engulfing several tractor-trailers and approximately an acre of woodchips. An excavator was used to break apart and spread the burning woodchips piles for extinguishment.
Crews worked approximately three hours to extinguish the fire.
Water was drafted from a pond on Valley Ridge Road and delivered to the scene by multiple tankers, totaling approximately 42,000 gallons.
HVFC thanks Haddam and Killingworth auxiliaries for providing drinking water and food during the incident.
