[Skibum]

I just got back from 1 1/2 hours on the front line of fighting a big forest fire just south of town. There were probably 80 firefighters battling the blaze. I went with the guys heading to the front line, and we hit it with rakes, shovels, and water packs.... at one point the fire was ROARING up the hill directly for us. It got HOT... I would guess 120-130, and totally smoked in for a few minutes....but we got it!

Now it's Miller time...

[Jay]

whoa! good job man!

[AutomatedOutlet]

Boy Ski, didn't know you were such a Jack-of-all-trades!

[Skibum]

Been with the FD in one capacity or another for 16 years..

[Jay]

he also used to do pyrotechs...
hmmm.

[justonemore]

[Skibum]

Yep...spent about 15 uears doing major fireworks shows for towns and cities around Connecticut.

[justonemore]

Was it the fireworks that opened the FD opportunity?
Or was it the lack of work for the FD that started you in fireworks?

[Skibum]

Um.... I was guarding the Fireworks display for our town, as the Chief of Fire Police...and the guy made the mistake of asking if I wanted to help...

[justonemore]

I can just imagine your response!!

[Skibum]

AVON -- A fire charred a remote 8-acre section of woods just feet from the banks of the Farmington River late Thursday afternoon.

Firefighters from five area departments got the blaze under control a few minutes shy of 6.

The fire was 3,000 to 4,000 feet from Blanchard Road, and at first, firefighters had to carry tanks of water on their backs to attack the fire. Later, brush trucks from area departments were used to put water on the fire. There was no reported property damage, but some firefighters suffered minor scratches and cuts.

The woods were too dense for large firetrucks to approach the fire, said Capt. Paul Welsh of the Avon Volunteer Fire Department. About 30 firefighters fought the blaze, while another 20 manned equipment, Welsh said.

White smoke hovered above the tree line when viewed from higher elevations on New Road, which runs north-south from Collinsville into Avon.

"You could see lots of smoke," said Emily Durkin, 7, a Blanchard Road resident perched atop her father's shoulders, describing what she saw during her school bus ride home at about 4. "If you looked really carefully, you could see a few flames."

Avon Deputy Fire Chief Bruce Appell said the fire's cause remains under investigation. Low humidity and sunshine over the past week created the right conditions for a forest fire, he said.

The danger level for a forest fire was rated "high" Thursday, according to the state Department of Environmental Protection website. Danger levels are classified at low, moderate, high, very high or extreme.

Several neighbors called 911 to report the fire around 3:45 p.m., fire officials said. Firefighters from Avon, Simsbury, Canton, Burlington and Farmington helped extinguish the blaze, and crews from Granby and East Granby were on standby.