Human cause, no suspects yet in Lebanon woods fire

A Lebanon Fire vehicle deep in woods of West Lebanon scouring for hot spots on Sunday. (Lebanon Fire-EMS photo)

WEST LEBANON - A Maine Forest Ranger on Sunday confirmed a human cause in Friday's woods fire that charred nearly four acres.

Forest Ranger Sue Myers said so far, however, she has been unable to identify a particular suspect or suspects in the blaze, which Lebanon firefighters visited again on Sunday to look for possible hot spots.

The fire was called in by a pilot from Skydive New England who spotted the flames around 4 p.m. on Friday.

The area of the fire is about a half mile off Prospect Hill Road beyond sand pits owned by the Howe bothers who formerly used the property as a test site for extreme robotic and armament systems showcased on the Discovery Channel several years ago.

Myers said the nearly four-mile swath of burned woods extends south from the second sand pit near skidder trails used to harvest wood.

She said she found evidence of a permanent squatter's camp at the southern end of the burned area, but no indication that that was where the fire started.

She said the fire pattern was uneven with trails where the skidders had been unscathed but what she called "fingers of fire" extending on either side of the skidder trail where slash had burned fiercely.

She said firefighters were able to pump water from the nearby Salmon Falls River to help extinguish the blaze.

Fire crews from several area communities helped battle the blaze.