Update 4:15 p.m.
Great Barrington — According to officials, the Butternut Fire remains uncontained as of the afternoon of Wednesday, Nov. 20.
Lee Fire Chief Ryan Brown said that, based on ground and aerial observations, the fire has spread over to 1,146 acres.
“However, it’s very important for us to remember at no time has there been a threat to homes or other structures,” Brown said. “There are no immediate dangers to the residents. There are no plans to recommend evacuations. If that changes, we will communicate that information clearly and well in advance.”
As for concerns about the smoke from the fire throughout Berkshire County, Brown said “Unfortunately, the atmospheric conditions that we are experiencing are holding smoke close to the ground.”
Earlier today, Brown said that the fire had reached Beartown State Forest.
However, during the afternoon press conference, Brown said that he previously announced misinformation and the fire had not reached Beartown State Forest.
Brown did say that the fire has affected a portion of the Appalachian Trail and a section of the trail has been closed.
“We made some progress today, and we have kind of put some things in the way of the fire that is keeping it in check,” he said. “We have put fire breaks in place to stop the spread of the fire into the occupied areas of town. And that is a huge, formidable manpower task, and that is the significant progress we talk of.”
When asked about the possible containment of the fire, David Celino, Chief Fire Warden for the state’s Department of Conservation and Recreation, said “This one’s gonna be a tough one.”
“The only reason it’s zero percent contained is that we don’t have any anchor points around the perimeter,” Celino said. “It doesn’t mean that it’s running rampant. What it means is that we don’t call it contained until it comes up against a hard-packed road, a body of water, somewhere where at the end of the shift we know it’s not going to break out of that perimeter. It will eventually happen. It’s just a game of patience.”
Celino said that the acreage of the fire increased due to the drought conditions in the area.
“We lost the winds last night,” Celino said.
When asked about the investigation of how the wildfire was started, Great Barrington Fire Chief Scott Turner said “Right now our priority is containing the fire.”
“We don’t necessarily have any resources in checking for the source of ignition,” Turner said. “We have a general area, but right now the focus is on containing the fire.”
When asked about reports of ash falling from the sky in certain parts of Berkshire County,” Celino said it was due to the low amount of wind in the area.
“This is why the smoke condition is hanging so low,” Celino said. “We don’t have a lot of convection going on in the atmosphere. The mixing height is only about 2,000 feet up there. So if you can imagine, it’s a container, and the smoke goes up to that container level and it just starts back and down.”
Celinio said that, while the rain predicted in weather forecasts may help firefighters, “Most likely, we’ll be up here until we get snowfall.”
Brown re-emphasized during the press conference several times that there are no evacuation orders for residents at this time.
Smoke from the fire has been reported in various towns and cities in both Berkshire County and Connecticut.
Original story:
Great Barrington — The Butternut Fire has continued to expand, according to Lee Fire Chief Ryan Brown.
Brown, who has been assigned as the Public Information Officer, gave the media an update about the fire on Wednesday, Nov. 20.
The wildfire started in the late evening of Monday, Nov. 18, and continues to grow in size.
He said that the fire progressed past Great Barrington and continued into Sheffield. “The weather did not go as expected last evening, and the fire did expand at a rate we were not anticipating,” Brown said. “Right now, the fire is estimated at under 1,100 acres. There is no immediate threat to buildings or persons at this time and the closest we have on record [of the fire being] a quarter mile from structures where there may be threatened structures this afternoon. [The firefighters] are working to prevent [the fire impacting structures].”
Brown said that, due to the colder weather, “the smoke from the fire will be lower than before.” “We ask the people of Great Barrington and Sheffield not to fear the smoke,” he said. “But because of the weather conditions, the smoke isn’t dissipating like it did yesterday.”
He said the smoke is also now moving into Beartown State Forest in Monterey.
Brown added that there are now 80 firefighters and emergency personnel on the scene.
When asked if residents would be asked to evacuate, Brown said that there were no evacuation orders at this time. “However, if they choose to be prepared for an evacuation, that’s not a bad idea,” Brown said.
Asked about any health risks from inhaling the smoke from the fire, Brown said, “There are always health risks involved in inhaling smoke. This smoke is not considered to be what we would normally consider toxic. It’s natural wood and things like that, but if you do have a respiratory ailment, we do encourage you to either close your windows, shelter inside, shelter in place, or move through a non-smokey environment.”
Brown said that there would be a second press briefing at 2:30 p.m.
After the press conference, the Great Barrington Police Department posted on their Facebook page:
Much of the information on social media is false. Ski Butternut is not burning and there have not been any evacuations at the time of any property. The name of the fire is the Butternut Fire. Butternut is not on fire.
Meanwhile Ski Butternut posted on their Facebook page:
The East Mountain Wildfire has burned approximately 100 acres near Ski Butternut. We are currently coordinating with multiple fire departments that have been dispatched to the area to ensure that they have access to the mountain and to water sources. We can’t express enough gratitude to these dedicated professionals for all their efforts. We are continuing to run our snowmaking system to saturate the hill with water and prevent the spread of fire. As of 11 a.m. our staff is safe and there has been no damage to the ski area. Please note we may experience communication issues with our phones, website, online store, and/or email. Thank you everyone in this amazing community for all your support.
Donations of packaged food, water, and Gatorade for the firefighters continues to be accepted at the Claire Teague Senior Center at 917 Main Street in Great Barrington.
The Berkshire Edge will update this article later today.
