Crews Continue to Battle Pennsylvania Wildfires

(TNS) — Crews Sunday continued battling a wildfire that broke out late Friday on Neversink Mountain in the outskirts of Reading.

The fast-spreading blaze was driven by dry conditions and intensified as gusts peaked at 35 mph just before 2 a.m. Saturday.

The windy conditions continued as firefighters worked through the day and night to contain the fire.

By Sunday morning, the worst was over.

“We’re getting a real break today,” said Richard Deppen, assistant forest manager for the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, or DCNR, forestry division. “The fire is no longer very active. It’s kind of creeping, smoldering.”

The division is leading the firefighting and mop-up operation, which is expected to continue for several days.

The cause of the fire and place of origin are still under investigation, Deppen said, noting about 120 acres of forest are involved, less than the 170 initially estimated.

Crews continuing to fight fire on Neversink Mountain in Reading updated]

Charred leaves littered the woods in the vicinity of Ganter Lane where there are several private homes.

Though much of the blaze was contained to the understory, Deppen noted there was tree canopy involvement in some areas.

The wildfire could have been much worse without the work of highly skilled firefighters from the state forestry division and the aid of trained crew members from the city fire department and other municipalities throughout Berks County.

Fire still smolders on Neversink Mountain in Cumru Township on Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024. (BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE)

Deppen said crews were working Friday night, through Saturday and into Sunday to keep the fire from spreading to nearby buildings and causing further damage to the public and privately owned lands on the mountain, parts of which are in the city and Lower Alsace and Cumru townships.

Their work was hindered in some instances by hikers, mountain bikers and curiosity seekers entering areas of active fire, Deppen said.

One man was nearly struck by a burning tree being felled by firefighters, he noted.

Deppen urges the public to keep off the mountain until the danger is over.

“It is for your own safety and that of my people,” he said.

Mayor Eddie Moran also issued a statement asking people to keep off the mountain and let crews do their work.

Richard Deppen, assistant forest manager for the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, greets a fire crew arriving from Loyalsock State Forest in northern Pennsylvania at the South Ninth Street fire command center on Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024. (BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE)

Reinforcement from Loyalsock State Forest in northern Pennsylvania arrived shortly after 9 a.m. Sunday at the South Ninth Street fire command center.

The fresh crew quickly got to work building another two miles or so of fire lines, paths of cleared vegetation that stop the spread of a fire.

In the woods behind the 1400 block of Fairview Street, another team worked to repair and reestablish the lines laid previously.

“What we do to control wildfires is we remove the fuel,” Deppen explained.

Leaves and other material are removed down the mineral soil, which typically contains more moisture, he said.

“But we’ve been in a drought condition for 41 days, so it’s very dry,” he said. “So that soil, if it has any organic matter, is going to burn and it’s going to creep and smolder underground and then pop up outside of our containment area.”

Crews are continuing to monitor the lines for hot spots.

Crews create a fire line behind homes in the 1400 block of Fairview Street in Reading on Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024. (BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE)

They also used controlled burning to remove leaves and other fuel to help stop the fire from spreading.

It’s a method that needs knowledge, planning and extreme caution, Deppen said.

“We’re very cautious about using fire on the ground,” he said. “You know, we go through a whole plan to make sure all the resources are in place. So if we get spot (fire) over the line, we can jump on it.”

In addition to those digging the fire lines and laying fire on the ground, he said, various crew members are working to support the effort by carrying water bladder bags and tools.

The firefighters are using utility task vehicles, or UTV, on the hilly and wooded terrain, inaccessible to larger apparatus.

Deppen said the helicopters used Saturday afternoon to drop water bombs on blazing areas of the forest could not be employed Sunday due to the limited visibility caused by the cloud cover.

He was hoping to fly a drone using infrared technology to detect any hot spots on the mountain.

Other equipment, such as pumpers and ladder trucks also was used Saturday to protect houses and other buildings at risk from the fire. Some of the larger vehicles remained on the scene Sunday.

DCNR is investing many different resources in battling the Neversink fire, Deppen said, particularly due to the threat to nearby city buildings and the homes scattered over the mountain.

No residents were injured in the fire, but one firefighter reportedly sustained a minor injury due to the terrain.

The American Red Cross Pennsylvania Rivers Chapter established an evacuation center for impacted residents at Amanda E. Stout Elementary School. It was closed by noon Saturday when the evacuation order was lifted.

© 2024 the Reading Eagle (Reading, Pa.). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.