East Bridgewater Fire Fighter Brian Parks battles a brush fire last week.

Whitman, Hanson, and East Bridgewater battled dozens of brush fires between the three towns with Whitman and East Bridgewater each responding to eighteen outside fires, according to Chief Timothy Travers, of the Whitman Fire Department and Chief Ryon Pratt, of the East Bridgewater Fire Department.

The Hanson Fire Department responded to thirteen brush fires or permit fires that burned out of control in just one week.  Hanson provided mutual aid, along with East Bridgewater and Whitman, for several extensive brush fires along the pole lines and state park in Abington. Crews from over twenty towns were called out of the area after six hours of battling blazes when officials grew concerned for the safety of the firefighters. 

Lt. Gary Smith battles a fire in a two car garage at 58 East Washington Street. 

According to Travers, the Whitman Fire Department battled their largest fires at 401 South Ave., Essex St. at Colebrook Boulevard, 7 Industrial Way and 130 Sportsmen’s Trail.

Much of the week, a fire patrol aircraft worked with local fire departments and chiefs to patrol by air watching for any signs of sparking brush.

According to Travers, the Plymouth County fire plane flies out of the Plymouth Airport depending upon weather conditions or by special request of the local fire chief. The plane has radio communication with all Plymouth County fire departments and the mutual aid center. They coordinate with the state fire towers when they locate a brush fire. The plane will fly to the scene of a fire and assist the incident commander on the ground via radio about the best way to get to the fire, where the fire is headed, and what area or structures may be threatened.

“During large brush fires the local fire chief can be assisted by the Massachusetts National Guard and or the Massachusetts State Police Air Wing, which can provide water drops from helicopters,” he said.

All fire mutual aid is coordinated by Plymouth County Control, a division of the Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office under the direction of Communications Lieutenant Scott Billing. They dispatch and coordinate all fire equipment in the county, which can be very hectic when several fires are occurring simultaneously around the county.  Billings is also a call lieutenant on the Hanson Fire Department.

Chief Pratt, of the East Bridgewater Fire Department, said they had a total of 18 calls regarding outside fires.

Pratt added that, based on the recommendation of Mass Department of Conservation and Recreation and the State Forrest Warden, he suspended burning in East Bridgewater until Monday of this week.

“I anticipate burning will be allowed through May 1 when the season will end,” said Pratt.  “Thankfully we were able to contain all of these fires before they were able to do considerable damage.”