Rindge fire crews responded Monday morning to a brush fire in Annett State Park, the second one this month, after a discarded cigarette lit dry ground cover alight, according to Rindge Fire Chief Rick Donovan. One person has been arrested as a result of the fire, with another arrest likely to follow.

According to a press release issued by the Rindge Police Department, Alexander Barden, 24, of Hudson, and Elijah Fogg, 23, of Jaffrey, were joyriding on the trails at Annett State Park when the truck slid over an embankment and became stuck on large rocks. According to Donovan, they got stuck at 6:19 a.m., and while stuck, one of the operators discared a lit cigarette, which started a brush fire, and the two alerted emergency services.

“It looks like that they may have tried to extinguish it, but it was moving too fast for them,” Donovan said.

According to Rindge Police, Barden was charged with operating a vehicle while being a habitual offender and littering. Police may pursue additional charges at the conclusion of the investigation. Fogg is under investigation and is likely to be charged with arson and littering, according to police, with possible additional charges pending. The Department of Forest and Lands and the New Hamsphire Fire Marshal’s Office will be assisting with the investigation.

The fire spread over about a quarter of an acre, and was located about a mile-and-a-half into the park, Donovan said, off an old cart road.

“It took a little bit to get the equipment out there, cutting trees and brush out of the way to widen the road,” Donovan said.

Within about an hour, the fire was contained, and Donovan said crews were on the scene for several hours doing “extensive mop-up” due to the extremely dry conditions. He said the fire did not burn deep into the underbrush, in part because it was called in immediately.

“We’ve got some high winds coming in this afternoon. We did have some rain this morning, but it wasn’t enough to do anything to wet the ground,” Donovan said.

Gauthier’s Towing Services was called to extricate the truck, and Donovan said crews cleared at about 10 a.m.

This is the second time this month crews have responded to Annett State Park for a brush fire. While the other fire’s cause was officially undetermined, fire officials found evidence of smoking in the area, and a discarded cigarette is a possible cause in that fire, as well.

Donovan said in Rindge, the only fires currently allowed are Category 1 cooking fires, and warned against any other burning. Fire departments are also warning residents not to discard cigarette butts or wood stove ashes while they are still smoldering.

“I know people love to have campfires, I do as well, but there are times we just need to refrain,” Donovan said. “We need to preserve our wild lands, because it can get away from you, really, really quick. The winds are playing a huge part in it. The low humidity is playing a huge part in it; all the perfect storms are happening.”

Ashley Saari can be reached at 603-924-7172, Ext. 244, or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on X @AshleySaariMLT.