Companies from 3 counties battle stubborn brush fire
Bob Ford/Times News The brush fire along the Blue Mountain quickly spread from Northampton to Carbon County.
The first major brush fire of the Spring 2010 season was a stubborn, fast-moving one along the Blue Mountain in Lehigh Township, Friday afternoon.
Fire companies from three counties were dispatched,including Lehigh Township, Palmerton, Aquashicola, East Penn Township, Bowmanstown, Walnutport, and Slatington.
The fire started along the south face of the mountain in Lehigh Township, and quickly spread into Carbon County, consuming an unknown number of acres, leaving a plume of smoke that could be seen from throughout Lehigh and Carbon counties.
Firefighters from Northampton, Lehigh and Carbon counties made their way into the fire scene by means of a fire access road atop the mountain. Flames could be seen leaping into the air.
The firefighters staged at a parking lot near the intersection of Blue Mountain Road and Route 946 in Danielsville.
Besides municipal fire departments, members of the Bureau of Forestry also fought the burning woodlands.
Firefighters battled the blaze without the aid of aircraft - commonly used to fight woodland blazes - which haven't been put into service yet. The forest fire season generally begins the last weekend in March, so it won't be until next week that the aircraft is available.
