At 1:11 PM on Friday, April 29, Princeton Fire was informed by regional dispatch that the Wachusett Fire Tower had identified heavy smoke in the area of Ball Hill Rd. The department was dispatched to the area where they started to stage our two forestry trucks and a tanker in the event that there was an active fire.
Once in the area, Captain Algarin and Chief Bennet divided the area between Ball Hill Rd and Route 62 into quadrants and began searching for the source of the smoke. They were in constant contact with the tower which helped them narrow their search to the area between 310 and 376 Ball Hill Rd and eventually sight the smoke and zero in on the railroad tracks behind 350 to 376 Ball Hill Rd.
Chief Bennet dispatched our forestry trucks and tanker to this area and began sizing up the extent of the fire. He immediately put out the call to Holden, Rutland, Hubbardston, and Sterling for assistance with forestry trucks to assist with this wildland fire and tankers for water supply. He followed this up with a request for support from the Fire Warden with their wildland firefighting equipment and personnel. West Boylston and Fitchburg were called in for station coverage since our people and equipment were busy fighting the brush fire. Hose lines were laid out into the woods and down the tracks using RTVs provided by other departments.
This was a very difficult fire due to the wind and the dry surface fuel. Providence & Worcester Railroad had used helicopters to trim trees along the tracks last summer but had left the brush along the tracks. Princeton Fire had requested the brush be removed but it hadn’t been. This brush helped fuel the fire. There were several fire tornados and trees on fire upwards of 60 to 80 feet in the air. At one point, the fire jumped the tracks and was heading for the residence at 350 Ball Hill Rd.
Many trees needed to be cut down while engulfed in flames. After 4 hours of hard firefighting and tree cutting, the fire was out. Unfortunately, one Princeton firefighter was injured by a falling tree that twisted in the wind and caught another tree causing a very hazardous situation. He was transported by Princeton’s ambulance but was discharged the same day and is doing fine.
Though Chief Bennet requested that the train be stopped, the railroad did not relay this message appropriately and in the middle of the fire, they had to deal with an oncoming train. Unlike in 2000 when a train totaled a Gardner fire engine helping with a similar fire, this time the train stopped in time.
We are very lucky that this fire did not occur back in early to mid-March. Princeton does not have the facilities to store our forestry vehicles therefore the department must drain and winterize the trucks and park them outside. They just brought those trucks back into service at the beginning of April and, even then, were concerned about some of the cold snaps that could
have frozen pipes and damaged equipment. Having the apparatus readily available for response is critical to their ability to protect our residents and their property.
This fire, coming in the middle of a workday when many volunteers aren’t available, in a part of town that is extremely hard to access, with high winds and an oncoming train, could have been a very tragic forest fire. It consumed a little over 2.5 acres of land and ran for upwards of 1,000’ down the railroad tracks.
Princeton Fire Department thanks our mutual aid support from Holden, Rutland, Sterling, Hubbardston, West Boylston, Fitchburg, District 8 Bureau of Forest Fire Control, and Leominster Emergency Management for their rapid response and assistance. We also thank our residents for continuing to support our public safety departments.
Photos can be viewed on the Princeton Fire Department Facebook Page
