LEHIGH TWP., Pa. — A fire that erupted on Blue Mountain last month and burned nearly 600 acres has been extinguished, state fire officials confirmed Thursday.
The fire officially was marked extinguished Dec. 3, said Greg Reese, a fire investigator with the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ Bureau of Forestry.
The Blue Mountain fire, also called the Gap Fire, erupted Nov. 2 near Route 248 in Lehigh Township.
The fire grew from 150 acres to almost 600, quickly becoming the largest brush fire the area has seen in more than two decades.
It took seven days of fighting before it was marked 100% contained.
“Our decision was not based on yesterday’s rain, but it did help our efforts.”Greg Reese, a fire investigator
During the course of the week, hundreds of firefighters poured in from across the state to help the township’s volunteer crew, and donations from residents overwhelmed officials so much that they had to ask them to stop.
In the weeks since total containment was reached, state foresters took point on the fire and sent crews to watch for hotspots until a soaking rain.
A wildfire is considered contained when firefighters have a perimeter around it, controlling the area burned and preventing the fire from spreading further.
A fire is extinguished when the flames are completely out.
The Lehigh Valley on Tuesday finally got substantial rainfall, with averages of about 1.5 inches reported from spotters across the region, according to the National Weather Service in Mount Holly.
More than 2.5 inches of rainfall was recorded in Lynn Township.
“Our decision was not based on yesterday’s rain, but it did help our efforts,” Reese said in an email.
The investigation into the fire continues, with no point of origin or cause yet determined, officials said.
Fighting the fire
About 1:40 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 2, Lehigh Township firefighters got a call that a brush fire had erupted on Blue Mountain.
It was a day after the National Weather Service issued a red-flag warning — put in place when the risk of fire danger is highest — because of the dry, windy conditions.
That same day, the state Department of Environmental Protection declared Lehigh and Northampton counties in a drought watch after very little rain in September and October.
The fire was about 700 feet up the mountain’s rocky surface. Crews were sent to hike up to scout the fire’s location and size, while another was deployed across the top of the mountain from Little Gap with trucks and water.
The fire, which when reported was only 1 to 2 acres, quickly grew, fueled by the tinder-dry, dense vegetation on the mountainside.
The area of Blue Mountain is part of the Palmerton Zinc Pile Superfund site. It was unintentionally stripped of vegetation over about 100 years by the New Jersey Zinc Co., which set up a zinc smelting operation in nearby Palmerton in 1898.
Revegetation efforts began in the 1990s, with several rounds of seeding.
Crews pulled back to regroup. Late Saturday, helicopters started carrying water from the Lehigh River to dump on the flames. Early Sunday morning, firefighters were back at it, focused on containing the blaze as best they could.
By Sunday afternoon, 150 acres were scorched. Containment efforts continued as firefighters lined up in groups, using rakes to move debris and soil out of the way and create a cleared path and back burning areas, separating the fire from its fuel.
On Monday, a crew was assigned to trek up the mountain with a fire hose, laying it down every 200 feet. The water, in conjunction with the backburn efforts, started working.
On Tuesday, Nov. 5, even though the fire had grown to 577 acres, it was more than half contained.
At that point, officials started “mop up” work — patrolling the fire breaks and watching out for any hot spots.
On Friday, Nov. 8, the fire was marked 100% contained.
