SOUTHAMPTON — The Southampton Fire Department and several other area departments were beating back an Easter brush fire that burned 12 acres of land Sunday afternoon.
Southampton Fire Capt. Pat Eline said the fire department received an initial call at 2 p.m. and the first crews arrived seven minutes later. He added that hot, dry, windy conditions made for ideal brush fire weather.
“At this point I think we have at least 12 acres involved,” Eline said just after 4 p.m., adding that crews had contained the fire and were busy trying to snuff it out.
He said mostly fields were affected before the fire spread to a set of abandoned railroad tracks that ran parallel to the backyards of homes on Brickyard Road.
“The wind had picked up and there was a significant amount of fuel (brush and leaves) that was on the railroad tracks,” Eline said. “And it caught on fire and started heading toward the houses. That’s when we called for extra help to have them come in.”
About 12 departments responded, Eline said, including Easthampton, Westhampton, and crews from Westover Air Force Base.
“Once enough resources arrived on scene we were able to put a circle around it and got it in check,” Eline said.
There were no reported injuries, Eline said, and no property was damaged save for the backyard fence of one house.
Eleanor Vallier-Talbot, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said high temperatures — in the mid-80s — wind gusts from the southwest, low humidity and the fact that leaves have yet to fully “leaf out” contributed to ideal brush fire conditions.
“It does look these conditions will persist into tomorrow,” she said Sunday.
Jack Suntrup can be reached at jsuntrup@gazettenet.com.