Great Barrington — Weeks after it started, the Butternut Fire has been extinguished, according to Great Barrington Fire Chief Scott Turner. The wildfire started during the evening hours of November 18 and grew in size, spreading out all over the East Mountain area, through land in Great Barrington and Sheffield.
According to the Great Barrington Fire Department, starting on November 18, more than 400 firefighters from neighboring departments all pitched in to fight the fire, including Great Barrington, Sheffield, New Marlborough, Otis, Egremont, Hinsdale, Windsor, Lee, and Pittsfield fire departments, along with officials from Southern Berkshire Ambulance, the Berkshire County Sheriff’s Office, and a fire crew from Wyoming. There were officials on the scene from the National Guard, Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, Department of Fire Services, and the Department of Conservation and Recreation.
As the wildfire raged on, smoke was reported in various towns and cities throughout Berkshire County and Connecticut.
On November 19, Great Barrington’s Selectboard declared a state of emergency, allowing the town to call in additional resources to fight the wildfire. As the fire continued to spread, there were fears that it would damage houses in the area. However, no property damage was reported during the fire, and there were no calls for evacuations by emergency management officials.
On November 21, it was reported that an individual suffered non-life-threatening injuries on the mountain as a result of the wildfire. The department did not provide updates or an identification of the person in the ensuing weeks.
On December 1, 13 days after the wildfire started, the Great Barrington Fire Department announced that the Butternut Fire was determined to be under control.
The Selectboard unanimously voted to lift the town’s state of emergency at its meeting on December 19.
In an email to The Berkshire Edge on Tuesday, December 24, Great Barrington Fire Chief Scott Turner reported that “as far as we can tell, [the Butternut Fire] is out.”
Turner wrote that the fire burned an estimated 1,670 acres.
Soon after the fire broke out on November 18, Dave Celino, chief fire warden for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, said that the cause of the wildfire was human activity. He explained that an extended rainfall deficit and a lack of thunderstorm development in October and November also contributed to the fire and its spread.
In his December 24 email, Turner wrote that the state Fire Marshal’s Office conducted an investigation “and didn’t find any conclusive evidence, so it will be listed as unintentional.”
However, in a separate email, Great Barrington Police Chief Paul Storti wrote that, while there are no updates in the investigation, the department is continuing to follow up on information as it is received.
