So far, the spring brush fire season has been relatively quiet, but on the afternoon of a warm, breezy Saturday, March 26, volunteer firefighters were reminded just how tough putting out a brush fire can be.

Sandy Hook, Botsford, and Stevenson volunteer firefighters joined forces to put out a rapidly spreading brush fire that was reported as burning along the Iroquois natural gas transmission pipeline right-of-way near Paugussett State Forest.

The accidental blaze occurred amid steep, rugged terrain, making for difficult access to the fire.

Sandy Hook Fire Chief Bill Halstead estimated that the fire was burning about 1,000 feet from the turnaround circle at the end of Leopard Drive, a residential street that extends from Kale Davis Road.

Chief Halstead said that the fire started after a 25-year-old man, who had been hiking through the area, dropped a lit cigarette on the ground.

Realizing that he was not able to put out the rapidly spreading ground fire in the dry, breezy conditions, the unidentified man reported the fire, after which firefighters responded at about 4:30 pm, the fire chief said.

Both Sandy Hook and Stevenson put their all-terrain vehicles (ATV) into service in fighting the stubborn fire.

Chief Halstead estimated that more than 20 firefighters responded to the incident.

Because standard fire vehicles cannot reach fires on such rugged terrain, the ATVs are used to carry personnel and water held in small portable tanks for firefighting. Brooms and shovels also are used to put out such ground fires.

When firefighters arrived at the scene, about one acre had burned, the fire chief said.

By the time, the fire was extinguished, about two acres had burned.

Firefighters spent about two hours working to put out the brush fire, Chief Halstead said.

The spring brush fire season persists when conditions remain dry before leaves appear on broadleaf trees.