Pennsylvania Forest Fire Lights Up Blue Mountain

March 06--A fire swept through trees and dry grass Monday night between the Lehigh River and the Blue Mountain Ski Area, about 15 miles north of Allentown.

The fire atop Blue Mountain on the Carbon County-Lehigh County border brought in firefighters from five fire companies, who battled flames for three hours. About three acres of trees and brush were destroyed.

No one was hurt, but in Tuesday's daylight fire officials are expected to investigate whether the blaze was connected to a campsite that firefighters found near the fire.

"There was a campfire that they came across, and someone had been there, but there was nobody around," Lehigh Township Fire Chief Rich Hildebrand said early Tuesday.

"We didn't investigate it too deep. Were're going back again tomorrow. We have to find out why it occurred."

The Bureau of Forestry under the state's Department of Conservation and Natural Resources probably will lead the investigation, Hildebrand said.

The blaze was reported at 7:40 p.m. An hour and a half later, a Northampton County emergency dispatch supervisor said the blaze was not totally contained, but it was no longer out of control.

By 10:54 p.m., Hildebrand said, the fire was out and all fire companies were gone or on their way back to their stations.

Witnesses to a "glow in the sky" initially were not sure if the fire was in Washington Township, Lehigh County; Lower Towamensing Township, Carbon County; or Lehigh Township, Northampton County.

But within minutes, emergency officials determined the fire was in Lehigh Township. A later recalculation put the fire just over the line, in Lower Towamensing.

"It was at the top of the mountain," Hildebrand said. "Straight up, 1,500 feet in elevation."

Early on, fire officials sent a small crew on an all-terrain vehicle to help pinpoint the fire, size it up and determine how far it was likely to spread. The mountain was fairly dry, and the night's light wind was from the northwest. The fire appeared to be moving east.

Hildebrand said the grasses that spread the fire were part of a state revegetation program for Blue Mountain.

"This was some of the grasses they've planted," he said. "They've grown and they've created a fine fuel. Within one hour of the rain, they can be dry enough to burn. And it was a high-fire-danger day."

The chief said the fire inquiry will look at the possibility of arson.

"They just arrested a guy [not far away] in Carbon County for causing fires, but there's no indication that there's anything like that going on," he said. "We have to look at it though."

Aquashicola, Slatington, Walnutport, Allen Township and Lehigh Township fire companies took part in fighting the fire. The state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources also assisted.

Firefighters approached the blaze from two directions, Hildebrand said.

"We had a hand crew that started hiking in from the parking lot off Route 248, which is right at the highway level," he said. "We also had trucks and water coming from the Blue Mountain Ski Area. It's like an old service road. That's three to four miles across the top of the mountan. It takes about a half hour to come in over the top."

The bumpy service road, which provided access to a mountain beacon until the mid-20th century, turned out to be the better way to go.

"The guys from the top had it a lot easier driving across," Hildebrand said. "That way we saved a lot of labor-intensive effort with guys hiking up with tanks on their backs."

The state has considered completely abandoning the service road, but Monday's fire is a reminder how important that access is, he said.

"It's a life-saver," he said. "That's our only lifeline to get to injury victims and fires up there."

-- Frank Warner