Mason and Milford, along with several other towns, responded to a two-acre brush fire at the Mason town line on Saturday.
Both Mason and Milford were alerted to a possible fire around the same time, 5:15 p.m. on Saturday, according to Mason Fire Chief Flip Phalon.
The fire was located in the northeast corner of Mason, on the Milford town line, in the area of Mitchell Hill Road.
Phalon said when the smoke was originally called in, the fire appeared to be fairly small, and likely had not been burning long, but grew to about two acres by the time crews were able to clear the scene several hours later.
“It couldn’t have been burning long,” Phalon said.
Phalon said the cause of the fire wasn’t able to be determined.
The New Hampshire Forest Rangers reported a fire danger of “high” for the lower half of the state that Saturday. The state determines fire danger daily based on conditions including recent rainfall, debris cover and wind conditions. When there are fewer leaves on the trees, wind conditions can create fire hazards, not only because it can push fires to consume more area, while also creating drying conditions, Phalon said.
“Wind is a driving factor. Before the leaves come out, the sun and wind have direct access and help dry out the ground. Once you get a fire going, it just takes off,” Phalon said. “This whole spring has been super windy.”
Wilton, Milford, Brookline and Mason responded to the scene to put out the brush fire, with Greenville covering the Mason station.
The daily fire danger rating may be obtained by calling the Division of Forests and Lands at 1-866-NH-FIRES, or on Twitter @NHForestRangers. Be aware of the current fire rating, and the rules in your municipality relating to burning conditions.
Ashley Saari can be reached at 924-7172 ext. 244 or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on Twitter @AshleySaariMLT.