The Maine Forest Service said Friday that Maine has had a 170 percent increase in wildfires so far this year over 2019, resulting in the highest fire count in 10 years.
Calling it “an unprecedented number,” forest rangers said they have responded to nearly 800 fires, representing close to 900 acres, throughout Maine so far in 2020.
The state agency released the figures on Friday as it said it is looking for witnesses to a wildfire that burned 45 acres and destroyed a cabin and other structures in Baxter State Park in May.
Lightning has been ruled out as a cause of the fire, which started near the Appalachian Trail on the West Branch of the Penobscot River, the forest service said. A log cabin, two outbuildings and a newly constructed trail bridge over Katahdin Stream were destroyed by the blaze, according to the forest service.
Investigators are asking anyone who may have been hiking or fishing near the May 21 fire, or anyone with helpful information, to contact District Forest Ranger Jon Blackstone at jon.blackstone@maine.gov or 207-695-3721.
“This fire was fast-moving and dangerous because of the dry weather and steep terrain,” Blackstone said Friday. “Our crew and the crew from Baxter State Park worked well together and stopped this fire from spreading into remote terrain.”
The total estimated cost to suppress the fire, which involved forest rangers and park personnel using portable fire pumps and multiple Forest Service aircraft, is more than $33,000.
