FRANKLIN, Conn — Local fire crews are battling a brush fire in the area of Ayers Mountain in Franklin on Saturday morning.
The Windham Fire Department responded just after 6 a.m. Saturday, saying the flames are on top of the mountain. Pictures shared on the South Windham Fire Department's Facebook page show crews bringing tarped buckets of water.
Windham firefighters said this is a "tough to reach brush fire."
Colchester firefighters are also responding to the fire, sending crews and forestry equipment. They said the brush fire spread to two acres by 8 a.m.
The state Emergency Management & Homeland Security advised residents that Forest Rangers from Maine are assisting in "aerial assets" and that recreational drone operators are asked to keep drones grounded.
The Dept. of Energy and Environmental Protection is also responding.
The cause of the fire has not been determined.
Route 207 is closed between Under the Mountain Road and State Route 610 Baltic Road due to the wild fires, according to the state Dept. of Transportation.
DEEP on Saturday placed a burn ban on its state parks and forests until further notice, asking hikers and campers to refrain from making campfires and cooking outside.
Connecticut is currently under a state of emergency as the dry and windy weather makes it easy for brush fires to start and spread. Residents are urged to avoid lighting fires outside or using tools outside that can create sparks. There is no rain in the weather forecast for the next seven days.
Firefighters and The National Guard have been fighting a brush fire on Lamentation Mountain in Berlin since Monday, which has been the focal point of a series of brush fires that sparked around the state this week. Officials said Friday evening that the Berlin brush fire was started by a campfire.
A retired firefighter volunteering for the Wethersfield Fire Department was killed Tuesday in a UTV crash while responding to the Berlin brush fire. First responders will remember Robert Sharkevich, Sr. with services this weekend and Monday.
This is a developing story. FOX61 will update this story as more information comes in.
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