Berlin Brush Fire: Mountain Still Burns As State Preps For Recovery

BERLIN, CT — While the recent rain Wednesday into Thursday was, in the words of state officials, a "good morale boost," it wasn't much more than that regarding the massive Berlin brush fire.

Still, After 10 days of fighting the Hawthorne Fire on Lamentation Mountain in Berlin, local and state firefighters are now showing signs of winning the battle.

The state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection hosted another briefing Wednesday night on the fire. According to DEEP officials:

• One firefighter succumbed to the heat in the battle of the fire and was transported from the fire for further medical treatment.

• Several other brush fires are popping up amid the statewide burn ban, but they all appear to be manageable.

• Rehab maintenance plans at the Hawthorne Fire are being planned to help the area recover biologically and botanically from the blaze.

Still, state officials sai d it was not safe to get the appropriate DEEP staff to the scene right now, as the blaze is, still, only 30 percent out.

• Despite recent good news, there are concerns about more dry weather in the future, especially on Oct. 31 and into the weekend as there is no rain in the forecast.

Rain on Wednesday night into Thursday dried up quickly as soon as the sun came out and, while a "good morale boost," it was not enough, state officials said.

• So far, there are no reports yet of people violating no-burn orders on state property.

The first reports of the blaze started coming in from area residents at about 5:44 p.m. Monday, Oct. 21 at Lamentation Mountain State Park in Berlin/Meriden.

Firefighters with the Berlin Volunteer Fire Department and the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection's Wildfire Division are among several units battling the fire. In addition, firefighters from Newington, Wethersfield, Rocky Hill, Cromwell, Westfield, Southington, and Meriden are also assisting.

Sadly, Wethersfield Volunteer Fire Department firefighter Robert Sharkevich Sr. was killed Oct. 22 when the forest firefighting vehicle he was in overturned. His funeral and burial were Monday, Oct. 28.

So far, the fire is believed to have burned 100 to 125 acres of land depending on various estimates, with the fire still confined to unpopulated areas of town and not requiring any residential evacuations.

DEEP has been posting regular press briefings on its Facebook page to update the media/public on the fire. They can be found at this link.

From Oct. 30: 'Berlin Brush Fire: Progress Reported By Firefighters'

From Oct. 29: 'Berlin Brush Fire: The Fight Moves Into Its Second Week'

From Oct. 28: 'Berlin Brush Fire: Blaze Enters 2nd Week As Hero Is LaidTo Rest'

From Oct. 25: 'Berlin Brush Fire: Services Set For FF, Emergency Declared: UPDATE'

From Oct. 24: 'Berlin Brush Fire: Firefighters Unite To 'Slay The Dragon': UPDATE'

From Oct. 23: 'Wethersfield Community Mourns Loss Of Beloved Firefighter'

From Oct. 22: 'Berlin Brush Fire: Firefighter Mourned As Blaze Still Burns: UPDATE'