Local volunteer firefighters repeatedly responded to a pesky brush pile fire that kept reigniting for several days this week, as a result of spontaneous combustion occurring among the thousands of wood fragments within the massive pile.

The burning pile of cut brush is located in a cleared area on the north side of Button Shop Road, about halfway between its intersections with South Main Street and Little Brook Lane. The site commonly is known as the "Daddario property," which formerly was a sand and gravel mine.

Fire Marshal Rich Frampton, who has repeatedly gone to the site to observe efforts to extinguish the smoldering fire, said July 26, "It's a pretty big pile and they have to tear it all apart" in order to put out the fire.

Several years ago, the Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) approved allowing a Bridgeport firm to process various earth materials at the site. Employees of that company have been helping firefighters put out the smouldering fire

Workers have been using an excavator to spread out the brush in seeking to put out the fire. There have been no injuries due to the fire.

The section of Button Shop Road lying between South Main Street and Little Brook Lane was closed to traffic for more than six hours on July 26, as fire hoses were positioned on the roadway carrying water from a nearby pond to the fire scene.

Botsford Fire Rescue Chief Wayne Ciaccia said the brush pile fire resulted in much smoke in the area, some of it wafting over to the Little Brook Lane neighborhood, occasionally becoming heavy there.

Firefighters have been repeatedly called to the fire after different passersby notice the smoke and report is as a fire, he said. The initial fire call came in about 6 pm on July 23. There had been more than ten fire calls to the site as of Wednesday afternoon, July 26. Sandy Hook firefighters have aided Botsford firefighters at the scene on some of the calls.

Much of the brush in the pile was carted to the site during cleanup projects that occurred after major storms had damaged trees in the area.

Chief Ciaccia said the brush pile fire may burn for another several days before being extinguished. Such a fire is difficult to put out because it spreads deep within the brush pile and repeatedly resurfaces at different locations.