Sunday Brush Fire Affected Three Acres

An observant resident on Castle Road Sunday evening alerted the Wayland Fire Department to a in the woods behind her home.

Wayland Fire Captain David Houghton said the call came in at 6:24 p.m. from a woman who said she could see the fire from her home. Wayland Fire responded within three minutes and found a brush fire burning along the south side of Stonebridge Road, along the aqueduct and toward the swamp, Houghton said.

While the fire was spotted from Castle Road, Houghton said firefighter access was along Stonebridge and required hundreds of feet of fire hose stretching from the hydrant to the fire.

Houghton said wind conditions Sunday night caused the fire to spread through about three acres, but no homes were threatened.

Because of the location and the darkness, Houghton said, this fire response was “extensive in manpower,” with three Wayland fire engines and one brush truck responding to the scene.

In addition, Sudbury Fire covered station 1 while Natick Fire covered Station 2.

Houghton siad the fire is "suspicious in nature," but because the fire didn't threaten structures, it isn't cost effective for the fire department to spend money investigating a specific cause of the blaze.

Houghton did point out that recent windy conditions have served to create a very dry top layer of brush. In addition, winter vegetation is generally dead and dry. He cautioned residents who are taking advantage of open burning season to be cautious with their fires.

"Even people with permit fires … need to be cautious," Houghton said, asking that people ensure embers are fully extinguished before leaving the fire.