A wildfire that burned over 500 acres of land between Jim Thorpe and Franklin and Mahoning townships last month is carrying over a half million dollar price tag for fire response, Carbon County officials say.

On Thursday, the board of commissioners discussed the fire, which began on April 19 near the D&L Trail in Mahoning Township and quickly spread on Bear Mountain, fueled by dry conditions and winds that were moving through the region at the time. At times, flames came close to homes in Jim Thorpe and along Long Run Road in Franklin Township.

Because of the growing size, the state sent crews from across Pennsylvania to help contain the blaze, fighting fire with drones, backfires and helicopter and aircraft water and fire suppressant dumps. The fire was declared contained nearly a week later.

“A number of years ago, Carbon County invested heavily in the EMA training center and fire tower,” Commissioners’ Chairman Mike Sofranko said, noting that at the time, there were mixed reactions to whether or not the investment was worth it. “But over the last year, at least the last two months, I had the opportunity to be there for a major event, which was the forest fire taking place in Jim Thorpe and down in Franklin Township. When you saw the state come in and not know where to set up, we were able to offer them that training center as their command post. It was remarkable as to what they could do there and the letters we received praising Carbon County for how far advanced we are with that and how much more welcoming and access was given to them, it was something I think every taxpayer should know.

“Right there is where you invested in and it paid off,” he added.

Commissioner Wayne Nothstein, who is also a volunteer firefighter in Lehighton, said that while it was amazing to see the state response, that response comes with a major price tag.

“The cost to the state was well over a half-million dollars at last count,” he said, noting that each helicopter drop was $600, totaling approximately $16,000 a day, fixed wing aircraft was another cost; feeding 150 firefighters daily and bringing in a team for logistics all adds up.

“When you look at that price of a half a million, imagine passing that on to the (volunteer) firefighters,” Sofranko said. “That freed the firefighters up to answer other calls they had,” Nothstein added.

A cause of the fire has yet to be determined, the board said.

Carbon County’s response to the state coming in to help with the fire didn’t go unnoticed.

Under correspondence, an email was received from Jake Novitsky of the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, acknowledging the work by Emergency Management Agency coordinator Zachary Gilbert for his assistance during the fire.

Novitsky was the incident commander for the fire response on April 20 and is the lead investigator for the wildfire.

“It’s amazing what we can do when we work together,” Novitsky wrote. “I look forward to continuing this great relationship with your county and can only see a brighter future looking forward as we continue to work together.”

He added that Gilbert “played a vital role in helping get resources to suppress the wildfire and gather logistical needs.”

Larry Bickel, public information officer for the incident, also said last month when the fire was considered 100 percent contained, that Carbon County made containment possible because of the resources and support from the community.

“When we got here, we were set up for success,” Bickel had said. “We drove in here and the district set us up for success; they had a plan in place so we could get food, we could get housing.”

He also praised the command center set up at the Carbon County Emergency Management Agency site and thanked the community for the outpouring of support throughout the incident.

The remnants of the fire, referred to as the Packerton fire, can now be seen driving into Jim Thorpe from Nesquehoning, as well as along the mountain ridge heading into Mahoning Township.