SOMERVILLE, Maine — A fire of yet unknown origin burned about 2.4 acres of woodland on Wednesday in the Damariscotta Lake Watershed Association’s West Branch Preserve in Somerville.
The Somerville Volunteer Fire Department was called to a fire at 11:34 a.m. on Rocky Mountain Road off North Mountain Road.
A number of departments from area towns, including Jefferson, Whitefield, Washington, Windsor and Waldoboro, as well as the Maine Forest Service, helped in various roles with the firefighting effort.
Forest Peaslee, who lives near the preserve, said he was feeding his buffalo when he smelled smoke from the fire. After heading out to investigate, Peaslee said he called his wife, and they both called to report the fire.
The fire ended up burning close to Peaslee’s buffalo pasture, just a few yards from an access road that follows the fencing.
Peaslee said that no one was around the area where the fire started when he arrived.
“It must have just started all by itself,” he said.
According to Peaslee, the same area burned about 150 years ago, and he said he had charred stumps that had been saved from the earlier fire.
Firefighters used hoses and tanks to surround and extinguish the fire, and they were aided by a Maine Forest Service helicopter that dropped water several times.
About two hours after the page went out, fire crews had contained the flames and were working back through the burned areas to put out hotspots, according to Somerville Fire Chief Mike Dostie.
“Huge thanks to the fire departments that came out here today,” said Jody Jones, executive director for the Damariscotta Lake Watershed Association, who came out to the scene.
“It looks like they caught it early and saved most of our preserve, which is great for us, the community and all the animals that live here,” Jones said.
The West Branch Preserve covers a little more than 500 acres in total, Jones said, describing it as a “gem.”
Large blocks of land like the preserve “are really key to protecting the animals we want here in the future,” she said.