Firefighters Quickly Contain Somers Brush Fire Of Nearly An Acre

SOMERS, CT — Firefighters from Somers and several mutual aid partners quickly contained a brush fire on Old Hampden Road on the northern edge of town Friday afternoon.

The fire, which spread across about an acre of land near the Massachusetts border, was reported shortly after 1 p.m. By 1:45 p.m., the blaze had been contained, and crews were working to extinguish any remaining hotspots, Chief David Lenart said.

"We extend our gratitude to our mutual aid partners for their support in containing this incident and ensuring the safety of the surrounding area," Lenart said.

Earlier Friday, Gov. Ned Lamont announced he has declared a state of emergency due to the critical fire weather conditions that exist throughout Connecticut, as well as the continued response to the brush fire at Lamentation Mountain in Berlin and Meriden, which is being commonly referred to as the "Hawthorne Fire."

"Over the last two months, Connecticut has experienced severely dry conditions and lack of rain, which has increased the threat of fire conditions and caused several fires to start throughout the state," Lamont said in a news release. "The filing of this declaration will help provide state and local emergency management officials with the necessary tools to monitor and limit the threat of potential fires, respond to active fires, and respond to any additional fires that may start. We are strongly urging all Connecticut residents to avoid any type of outdoor burning as the current conditions pose a high risk of fire danger."