Illegal burn causes brush fire in Beacon Falls

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Elio Gugliotti, Editor

A brush fire burns in the area of Feldspar Avenue and Fairfield Place in Beacon Falls Monday afternoon. -CONTRIBUTED

BEACON FALLS — An illegal burn sparked a brush fire that quickly spread due to dry and windy conditions Monday afternoon.

Beacon Hose Co. No. 1 responded to a brush fire in the area of Feldspar Avenue and Fairfield Place at about 2:10 p.m.

Beacon Hose Chief Brian DeGeorge said when he arrived on the scene the fire was spread over a roughly 1,600-square-foot area. Wind along with dry wooded debris in the area, which was hit hard by a tornado in 2018, fueled the fire, he said.

DeGeorge estimated that the fire spread to about 3 acres at its peak. He said the flames got to within about 15 feet of a house on Fairfield Place, but firefighters contained it before it spread to any structures. He said firefighters got the fire under control in about an hour. Firefighters remained on the scene, checking for hot spots and removing dead limbs and trees, to make sure the fire didn’t flare up again.

DeGeorge, who is also the town’s fire marshal, said the brush fire started from someone who was illegally burning debris in the area. DeGeorge didn’t release the person’s name Tuesday. He said his office is working with police on possible enforcement action.

Residents need a permit to burn debris. DeGeorge said if the individual applied for a permit, the fire marshal’s office wouldn’t have issued it due to the dry and windy conditions. He stressed that something small, like burning debris, could turn into a large issue and asked people to think before they act.