DCNR crews still monitoring wildfires | News, sports, jobs

Large trees and logs are the only things left burning in the box firefighters created to suppress the fire on Huntingdon Pike near Canoe Creek State Park, which grew to nearly 300 acres this weekend, said Bill VanAtta, Geeseytown deputy fire chief Community Fire Company.

“There is no harm or danger to anything off the beaten path,” VanAtta said.

The fire scene was turned over by the volunteer company to the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources early Saturday morning, VanAtta said.

“Their crews are still monitoring it, working on it and making sure nothing still burning gets past that line,” VanAtta said.

When the fire started, VanAtta said it was estimated to cover at least two hectares, which “quickly grew to five hectares,” with the dry and windy conditions combining to create a “worst case scenario for something like this if it goes up a hill.”

As the fire grew, VanAtta said residents became alarmed, but the fire was moving in the right direction so as not to damage property. While the fire quickly overwhelmed the volunteers, VanAtta said the DCNR was already in the area and responded quickly.

“This one was for our record books for our fire company,” VanAtta said. “Even the guys who have been here a long time have never seen one this big.”

DCNR public information officer Larry Bickel, who was released from the scene Sunday after working through Saturday, said that “the burn ban is critical here” and that “you can’t burn anything” on state or national park property .

“It’s fall fire season,” Bickel said. “And in Pennsylvania we almost never have fall fires. It’s scary.”

Blair County Director of Emergency Management Mark Taylor said even if the county doesn’t have a burn ban, no one should burn outdoors.

“Even though we’ve had that little bit of rain, everyone needs to understand that we haven’t had enough to change anything,” Taylor said.

The rain helped thwart the fire and played a role in the DCNR’s plans to combat it, VanAtta said. On Friday, approximately 65 DCNR staff met at the Blair Forestry Station to map out a plan for Saturday.

“It was all under the control of DCNR,” VanAtta said. ‘Their plan worked to perfection. They owed it to the weather forecast. The rain cooled everything down and helped put out the smaller fire in the box.”

VanAtta said he is still figuring out the exact number of volunteers who fought the blaze, but said 12 fire departments and two ambulance companies were on scene, while two county fire departments were on standby as backup.

Frankstown Township is under a burn ban until further notice, VanAtta said, adding that he “cannot imagine any township” lifting its own burn ban.

“The rain we got is already in the ground, and the plants we have haven’t gone into dormancy for the winter yet,” VanAtta said.

The cause of the Huntingdon Pike Fire remains under investigation by the DCNR.

Mirror Staff Writer Rachel Foor is at 814-946-7458.