User talk:Hwsfd

Wildfire strikes Winsted 100 battle 8-acre brush blaze, 1 of several in area Wednesday Thursday, April 13, 2006 WINSTED -- About 100 firefighters and EMTs from 20 area departments and two state agencies battled an 8-acre brush fire in Winsted Wednesday, the largest such fire the town has seen in years. The fire was one of several areawide Wednesday as the dry weather and high winds of early spring have contributed to a high fire index, firefighters said. Flames scorched privately owned woodland just north of Route 44 and south of Colebrook Road. The first alarm went out at about 2:30 p.m., and it took just over two hours, and at least 20 water drops by the state police helicopter Trooper One, to bring the blaze under control. Six firefighters were treated for minor injuries, including smoke inhalation and debris in the eyes, and five of them were transported to area hospitals as a precaution, said Rita Wabrek of the Winsted Volunteer Ambulance Association. All of the injuries were minor, she said. "This is probably, as far as manpower goes, probably the biggest we've had in many, many years," said Winsted Fire Chief Robert Shopey Jr. Department of Environmental Protection Fire Control Officer Phil Johnson said the cause of the blaze is unknown and will be investigated early Thursday morning. Shopey was one of several firefighters who said the fire index is high. "For the most part it has been pretty dry. Most of March, and so far in April, the fire index has been high," Shopey said. In Watertown, a brush fire scorched about two acres in the northern part of the Watertown Golf Club. Fire Chief and Marshal Larry R. Black said three fire engines and 20 firefighters responded to the fire call that came in around 3 p.m. The vehicles had to use a golf cart pathway north of West Road, which splits the course, to access the site that was at a far end. The 18-hole course sits between Guernseytown and Litchfield roads. Four golfers on the course said they were told the flames were near the eighth hole. Black said it was not immediately known what caused the brush fire. There was no estimate of damage available. Waterbury firefighters have been busy fighting small brush fires all over the city for two days, said Rick Hart, acting department fire chief. "They're more nuisance calls," Hart said. "No structures have been in jeopardy." He said unusually dry weather and wind have contributed to these fires and, adding to the problem, the dew point has been low and moisture has been evaporating quickly from the air. Don Veilleux, a Colebrook Road resident whose yard was used as a staging area in the Winsted fire, said the scene was familiar. "Every year this happens," Veilleux said. "They got that gate over by (Route) 44. Somebody went and cut the chain on that. Then you get campers in here, and the next thing you know, there's a fire ... it's getting old." A nearby pond served as a water source for Trooper One, and a place of potential refuge for five young firefighters from Norfolk. Led by Norfolk firefighter Steven Hutchins, 20, a group of five young men designated "Norfolk Team One" walked into the woods, dry branches snapping underfoot as they turned off a trail toward thick gray smoke. Armed with hand tools and water-filled backpacks known to firefighters as "Indian Tanks," they met the fire at about 3:20 p.m. "Stay on the downhill side," Hutchins shouted to his young charges, and pointed to the pond just visible through the trees below. "Your escape route is over here."

Hutchins took one look at a line of flaming brush he estimated at 300 or 400 feet long, picked up his radio, and called for backup. Norfolk firefighters Matt Bell, 17, John Betters, 15, Adam Marchi, 15, and Dylan Mitchell, 17, began to douse the edges of the fire line. "Don't waste your water," Hutchins said. "There's no way we're gonna put this out ourselves." At that moment, Trooper One thundered overhead, dropping low to pick up water. By 3:38 p.m., Hutchins was ready to move out. "We have the western side pretty much knocked down," Hutchins radioed to the command post. "We have a hose behind us, and we're making our way toward you. Hey, Butters, hit this tree for me." On the way into the woods, Hutchins had pointed to Betters and said "make sure you get his name right. We call him Butters, like the character in (the animated television show) 'South Park,' you know?" DEP crews supplied fire retardant foam, which was pumped into the water lines, and used global positioning satellite units to plot the exact boundaries of the eight-acre fire. The land was all privately owned, Johnson said, though the edge of the fire did approach state property. By 4:50 p.m., the fire was under control, and by 5:30 p.m., the massive effort was winding down. "Everybody listen up," said Winsted Assistant Chief Steve Sartirana, addressing a group of firefighters at the edge of the treeline at 5:35 p.m. "We need to work the perimeter of the fire all the way around. They got foam, the bird's making more drops... we want don't want people in there after dark." Sartirana and Johnson said the hope was that overnight rain would douse any remaining hot spots. Some equipment and hoses and were left in place overnight, in case they were needed in the morning, Sartirana said.