122 acres burn in Monroe
A wildfire that broke out Sunday afternoon has burned nearly 122 acres in Chestnuthill Township.
The fire, which started before 4 p.m. was in a remote area between North Rocky Mountain Drive and Hypsie Gap Road that made it difficult to access.By the time it was contained, 99 acres of State Game Lands 38 and 23 acres on Bethlehem Water Authority property were burned, according to Terry Brady, deputy press secretary for the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.Air drops from planes from the Hazleton Tanker Air Base were also used to help fight the fire, Brady said.As of 7 a.m. Monday, the fire was contained, but not out, he said.John McKeever, township fire chief, said that as of 11 p.m. Sunday, all the fire companies had cleared the scene."Everyone that responded did an excellent job in keeping it contained and knocked down, and not letting it get any bigger," McKeever said.Various fire companies from throughout Monroe, Carbon, and Northampton counties battled the wildfire off Hypsie Gap Road.They include West End Fire Company, Blue Ridge Hook & Ladder, Jackson Township Fire Company, Kunkletown Volunteer Fire Company, Marshalls Creek Fire Company, Pocono Summit Fire Company, Pocono Township Fire Company, Polk Township Fire Company, Stroud Township Fire Company, Tobyhanna Township Fire Company, and Tunkhannock Fire Company, Monroe County; District 9, District 12-2, and Palmerton Fire Company, Carbon County; and Plainfield Township Fire Company, Northampton County.Brady said there were also at least 20 Bureau of Forestry trained wildfire fighters who assisted.The fire remains under investigation by the DCNR, he said.