A wildfire prevention expert with Pennsylvania's Bureau of Forestry is investigating the cause of a brush fire that burned across 2 1/2 acres near the scenic Pinnacle Overlook earlier this week.
The stubborn brush fire was fully extinguished at 6:42 p.m. Tuesday, said Rick Deppen, an assistant forest manager with the bureau's William Penn district.
The forestry bureau is managed by the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
Though firefighters were called to the wooded area near the heavily visited vista in Martic Township at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, Deppen said it appears the brush fire started the night before.
"The burn pattern showed it burned downhill, and that means it had to have down-slope winds to push it downhill," Deppen said Wednesday morning. "A cooling air mass pushed it downhill."
Such a downward burn pattern likely would not happen during the daytime, when the air warms and rises, he said.
"I believe this started the night before," Deppen said.
More than 100 firefighters battled tricky footing to extinguish the fires spread across the rocky slopes overlooking the Susquehanna River.
"The terrain was unbelievable, extremely steep," said Deppen.
Firefighters collected stream water from the nearby Tucquan Glen Nature Preserve and trucked it to the fire.
Deppen declined to say where he believes the fire started because the case is still under investigation.
The Pinnacle Overlook remains open to the public even though PPL has closed 460 wooded acres around the Holtwood Dam to public recreation for the next three years.
The closure is needed for safety reasons because work has begun on a $440 million expansion at the hydroelectric dam. The land has been posted "no trespassing" since January, when construction began.
Deppen did say, however, that the shrubbery was noticeably dry for this time of year. Spring and fall are considered fire seasons.
"It's very dry in the Lancaster area right along the river," Deppen said.
VIDEO: Firefighters battle brush fire at Pinnacle Overlook
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