KLINE TOWNSHIP, SCHUYLKILL COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — Firefighters are on the move Friday in Schuylkill County as a brush fire scorched nearly a dozen acres. Fire crews from several departments were on the scene for hours fighting the blaze.
More than ten acres of land were destroyed Friday afternoon in Kline Township. No one was injured and no structures were damaged, but fire crews say the brush fire was a tough one to put out.
Planes dropped fire retardant over charred wooded fields in Kline Township Friday afternoon in an effort to extinguish a large brush fire.
"Very densely, wooded extremely difficult to get at the area up on the side of the mountain," said Robert Leshko Mcadoo Fire Chief.
Multiple fire crews in addition to McAdoo were on the scene for hours to help extinguish the blaze that burned more than ten acres of land.The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Bureau of Forestry had 20 forestry members on the scene to assist in putting out the fire.
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"Ten acres is a little bit more than average. The underbrush was a very thick load of field wood so we had a underbrush of scrub oak and pitch pine and overstory so it burnt pretty good," says Jake Novitsky DCNR Forestry Member.
On top of the field conditions, gathering water was also a challenge.
"It was just time-consuming because the guys got out of water hiked back down the mountain to fill up and then had to hike back up. it was just a process," stated Chief Leshko.
It's not the first time there's been a brush fire in that area. Chief Leshko says last year a brush fire broke out at night near the same spot.
He warns people who might be in the wooded area near the 800 block of Trescow Road to be aware of the impact that winds and dryness can have on sparking flames.
"If people are out here try and be careful because it is really dry and wind changes even on a day when there isn't really a lot of wind, the wind changes are very dramatic," added Chief Leshko.
DCNR forestry members are investigating the cause of the fire but say nothing seems suspicious or out of the ordinary.
