A brush fire behind the PECO substation on the 400 block of Sumneytown Pike at the end of Dickerson Road in Upper Gwynedd Township spread to about the size of a football field, causing nearly 20 fire and emergency agencies to fight the blaze.
By James Short Sumneytown Pike in Upper Gwynedd is closed Saturday at West Point Pike, as of 7 p.m., as fire officials remain on scene.
Upper Gwynedd Fire Co Deputy Chief Matt O'Brien said the cause of the fire is unknown at this point.
"The fire is under investigation," O'Brien said.
According to Montgomery County emergency dispatch, a call initially came in for a reported electrical fire outside around 4:15 p.m., but the field fire spread quickly.
"We were on the scene of an accident with injuries on West Point Pike five blocks away, and we saw black smoke in the air," O'Brien said.
Upon arrival on scene, fire crews were meant with a field fire 500-by-500, O'Brien said, which resulted in a massive response from area agencies, who were able to get the blaze under control by 5:30 p.m., with firefighters utilizing ATVs to put out the flames.
"We called in a half-dozen field units around the county specialized in this," he said. "We attacked it that way and we were utilizing the field trucks to put a lot of the fire out."
O'Brien said an engine was dispatched to the area behind the Upper Gwynedd Township Building at Parkside Place to prevent the fire from spreading into the woods.
There were no injuries.
Assisting agencies included Upper Gwynedd Township Fire, North Penn Vol. Fire Co., Towamencin Vol. Fire Co., Fairmount Fire Co. of Lansdale, Centre Square Fire Co., Worcester Fire Co., Skippack Fire Co., VMSC Emergency Medical Services, Merck Company Ambulance, Upper Salford Fire Co., Wissahickon Fire Co., Lower Providence Fire Department, and Montgomery Township Fire Department.
Some residents in North Wales Borough reported burnt pieces of cornstalk and and brush falling from the sky in their backyards.
By James Short
