Middletown brush fires brought under control
Brush fires that swept through woods and open land in Middletown on Tuesday and Wednesday have been brought under control, a spokesman for the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection said.
“DEEP and local resources wrapped up burn outs (purposely burning the edges to prevent spread) on the Middletown brush fires earlier this evening,” spokesman Will Healey said Wednesday night.
The fires were smaller than first reported, he said. The blaze that broke out Tuesday afternoon off River Road was confirmed to be about 155 acres and was mostly contained, Healey said. The second nearby fire burned about 22 acres and was fully contained, Healey said.
Bordered by River, Aircraft and Freeman roads, the first blaze was caused by a downed power line, Middletown South District Fire Chief Jim Trzaski said. The cause of the second blaze on the other side of Freeman Road has not been determined but was labeled suspicious, Trzaski said.
A total of 10 fire departments provided mutual aid, along with DEEP firefighters. Healey said DEEP crews were back on site Thursday securing the edges of the fire scenes and monitoring. Fire danger in the state remains very high.