Just before 2:00 PM on Saturday, units were alerted for a reported woods fire in Upperco, in the 17800 Blk of Falls Road, north of Mt Carmel. Units from Arcadia Volunteers, along with Hampstead Volunteer's and BCoFD Engine 60 responded on the initial call, which dispatch advised started from an unattended burn barrel. A large column of smoke was visible to crews responding to the scene from a significant distance away. Engine 23 of Hampstead arrived and advised that there was a large area of woods burning near the callers home. Engine 434 arrived shortly behind Hampstead, and assumed a strategic attack position behind the fast-moving fire's edge. Crews from E23 and E434 made an aggressive initial attack with multiple hand lines and brush fire attack lines. Initial crews were able to keep the fire from advancing, while additional resources from surrounding Manchester Volunteers, and Maryland Line were able to hit various hot spots left behind from the fire. Crews utilized a combination of chain saws and brush fire attack tools, in conjunction with several brush fire attack vehicles and an all-terrain vehicle, to bring the fire under control. Several tanker trucks were also alerted to assist on the incident, due to the inherent water supply concerns of a rural setting. It took approximately 20 firefighters nearly four hours to completely extinguish the fire and prevent a rekindle.
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