Tamaqua – The Guardian of State Fires Paul Kennedy was still on the spot, watching a brush fire on the east edge of Schuylkill County on Friday afternoon when he was called to another brush fire west of the county.
Consecutive fires, almost occurring as on a calendar, have underlined the intensity of the current season of brushes fire.
By driving from one fire to another, about a 40 -mile trek, Kennedy took the time to talk about the challenges presented by the next season of brush shots.
“Last year, we had a very late and unprecedented season, Fighting Brush was shooting in November,” said Kennedy, based in Llewelyn. “This year, we have a start to the season, fighting brushes fires since February.”
So far, there have been 12 major brushes fires this year, “he said,” compared to two in the same period last year. “”
The conditions are ripe – strong gusts of wind, relative humidity in the 1930s and temperatures in the 1960s – for brush fires.
“This is the first season of brushes fire,” said Kennedy, who said the rain was not planned for the end of the week. “We expect to be busy during the Easter holidays.”
Fortunately, he said, rapid responses from firefighters in the region contained the fires in a few acres.
American Hose Co. N ° 1 was the first to respond to Friday fire in a mountainous region above the Tamaqua Holland Hill residential region.
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Cassie Fritzinger, on the left, washes the pressure of a fire pipe while Elaina Coleman, right, keeps the South Ward Fire Company in Tamaqua, Friday April 18, 2025. (Matthew Perschall / Multimedia editor))
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Elaina Coleman strives to bring the fire hose back into the fire of South Ward Fire Company in Tamaqua (Matthew Perschall / Multimedia publisher)
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Cassie Fritzinger, on the left, uses a pressure washer to clean a pipe used to fight a brush fire while Kevin Miller, on the right, held him to South Ward Fire Company in Tamaqua, Friday April 18, 2025. (Matthew Perschall / Multimedia editor))
Proof of presentation
1 out of 3
Cassie Fritzinger, on the left, washes the pressure of a fire pipe while Elaina Coleman, right, keeps the South Ward Fire Company in Tamaqua, Friday April 18, 2025. (Matthew Perschall / Multimedia editor))
Develop
A brush deviant with intense fire on a stiff mountain flank has rained sparks of sparks, one of the stakeholders reported. The flames were 10 feet or more high.
The main fire embers caused a second fire at a short distance. For a while, it appeared nearby that the power lines were in danger, according to the dispatches of the Schuylkill County Communications Center. The authorities have placed an airplane in standby for a drop of water.
The fire was powered by Japanese dismissal stands, a dense woody plant that is burning rapidly, said Kennedy, a director of the conservation department and natural resources.
“He cracks and jumps,” he said. “It looks like a freight train when it happens.”
The flying embers of Japanese dismissal fires often cause additional “spot” fires, said Kennedy.
Mark Bower, head of South Ward Fire Co. N ° 1 in Tamaqua, said that Friday's brushing fire was stretched by 25 mph winds.
“It was a fire that evolves quickly,” said Bower, a DCNR fire goalkeeper.
American Fire had already “made a good fire injury” when South Ward arrived with his Wildlands and his high water rescue truck, said Bower.
Weiser's V -type V engine is specially equipped for brushes fires. Sitting above the ground, he can access damaged land. It carries a tank of 600 gallons and a slim slight hose which offers the flexibility necessary to access fires in wooded areas.
Fireman Kevin Miller was greeted by flames and flying ashes while leaving the Bush truck from South Ward.
“He became warm and heavy,” said Miller, 54, a security official who responded to his first bush fire.
East End Fire Co. of Tamaqua responded to Tamaqua and the companies of Walker Twp., Tuscarora and New England. The tanker trucks of the nearby navigation coal company provided water to firefighters on the scene.
Subsequently, as volunteers washed in power at South Ward, Bower expressed thanks to the volunteers who responded to the fire.
“We are blessed,” he said, “to have people who are ready to go out in the woods to fight fires.”
Then Bower made this plea to the public: “Please don't burn when it is dry and windy. We would really appreciate it.”
