Fire crews extinguish small brush fire following hours-long search for blaze

Fire crews on the Lebanon side of the Salmon Falls River across from the former leatherboard factory in Milton begin a search for the brush fire on Saturday afternoon (Rochester Voice photo)

WEST LEBANON, Maine - Firefighters from Lebanon and surrounding communities spent several hours Saturday afternoon trying to locate a small brush fire in the Salmon Falls Reserve.
The fire was called in by a hiker around 2:15 p.m., drawing firefighters to several spots along Prospect Hill Road in West Lebanon and at the former Milton, N.H., Leatherboard Factory aside the Salmon Falls River.
The blaze was initially described as being around 30 feet across and spreading, according to a statement from Lebanon Fire and Rescue, which noted that crews faced challenges due to hot weather, the vast wooded area, limited location details, and the absence of visible smoke.
After about an hour and a half of searching, firefighters located a smoldering area measuring roughly 15 to 20 feet wide, and using a portable pump, they were able to quickly extinguish the fire by soaking the ground, digging out roots, and overturning soil multiple times to ensure the fire was fully out.
Lebanon Fire-EMS received mutual aid assistance from Acton, Milton, Rochester, Ross Corner, and Shapleigh Fire departments, with Farmington Fire providing station coverage.