Berlin Brush Fire: Services Set For FF, Emergency Declared: UPDATE

BERLIN/WETHERSFIELD CT — While firefighters battle a massive brush fire at Lamentation Mountain in Berlin, the community will soon pay tribute to one of their own who died in the fight.

Among the latest news on the fire:

• Services for fallen Wethersfield Volunteer Fire Department firefighter Robert Sharkevich Sr.are slated for Sunday, Oct. 27, and Monday, Oct. 28, with his wake on Sunday and a funeral Mass set for Monday.

Sharkevich, 66, was killed Tuesday after a WVVFD utility vehicle specially designed for battling forest fires overturned during firefighting operations late Tuesday afternoon.

His death prompted an outpouring of tributes about his decades-long firefighting career as well as the hazards all responders face while serving their communities.

Thursday, a GoFundMe page was set up to help the family of Sharkevich Sr.

Calling hours for Sharkevich are Sunday, Oct. 27, from 2 to 7 p.m. at Farley-Sullivan Funeral Homes, 34 Beaver Road, Wethersfield.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Monday, Oct. 28, at 11 a.m. at the Cathedral of Saint Joseph, 140 Farmington Ave., Hartford, followed by interment at Rose Hill Memorial Park, 580 Elm St., Rocky Hill.

For fallen Wethersfield firefighter Robert Sharkevich Sr.'s obituary, click on this link.

To donate to help the family of fallen Wethersfield firefighter Robert Sharkevich Sr., click on this link.

• As for the cause of what is being called the "Hawthorne Fire," Berlin Volunteer Fire Department Chief Jonn Massirio, speaking on WICC AM radio out of Milford, said investigators are theorizing the cause of the blaze was "accidental" in nature.

Massirio told WICC that the area is a popular outdoor recreation site.

Citing Massirio, WTNH Channel 8 reported the fire was caused by a campfire that was left abandoned prior to the fire.

WTNH reported that ash from the fire touched off the massive inferno that has impacted 120 acres.

• The assault from the air ramped up in earnest Thursday after being rolled out the prior day, officials said.

According to the Connecticut National Guard, which reportedly was joined by helicopter units from Maine, 101,000 gallons of water were dumped on the blaze from nearby Silver Lake.

• Fire officials at the scene continued to assure homeowners in the area that no evacuations were necessary as the battle went on, with firefighters holding the lines well.

Overall, firefighters said they had a "positive outlook" on the fight, but it is "a lot of work."

• Gov. Ned Lamont Friday announced the Federal Emergency Management Agency approved his request for Connecticut to receive a grant through its Fire Management Assistance Grant program.

The money will support the state and its municipalities in the response to the Hawthorne Fire in Berlin.

He said nitial estimates indicate the state’s costs will exceed the grant program’s necessary $330,000 threshold.

Under this grant program, FEMA will provide a 75 percent reimbursement of the eligible costs of its emergency response to this fire.

Some of the state’s more significant costs include utilizing aircrew from the Connecticut National Guard and its UH-60 Blackhawk and CH-47 Chinook helicopters to conduct water drops.

“This is one of the most significant brush fires Connecticut has experienced in recent memory, which is largely due to the very dry conditions and lack of rain we have experienced in recent weeks,” Lamont said.

“I thank FEMA and the Biden-Harris administration for their rapid response to my request and their continuing partnership with Connecticut to ensure that we can support the resources we need to keep this area safe."

This is the first time Connecticut has been approved for a grant under FEMA’s Fire Management Assistance Grant program.

• Along similar lines, Lamont officially declared a "State of Emergency" in Connecticut due to, not only the Hawthorne Fire but the dry conditions that appear to be touching off others in the state.

Speaking to reporters Friday afternoon, William H. Turner III, Connecticut's emergency management director, said the declaration allows the state access to federal financial resources to help with the firefight.

"There's been other fires that have had the potential to get out of control if not properly maintained," Turner said. "We just want to be in a position of preparedness."

Meanwhile, Turner urged folks to enjoy the sunny weather this weekend, but to be vigilant about fires and to avoid them, adding a small spark could quickly become a major inferno.

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

Firefighters with Berlin 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.

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.

For the full WTNH Channel 8 report, click on this link.

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'

To view more pictures of the Lamentation Mountain fire, click on the BVFD's Facebook page.

To see a video of Connecticut National Guard helicopters battling the fires, click on this link.