Fire crews in Berkshire County change plan of action in attempt to battle Butternut Fire

GREAT BARRINGTON, N.Y. (NEWS10) - The rainy weather conditions Thursday morning gave fire officials and residents in Berkshire County hope there will be a better handle on the spread of the so-called Butternut Fire. Fire officials in Great Barrington said crews have had to make a new plan of action after they said fire expanded overnight.

Lieutenant Brian Mead, the Public Information Officer at the Great Barrington Fire Department, said the rain has kept the fire from spreading further than it already has.

"The fire does not seem to be spreading rapidly, which is great news for us," Mead said. "We are keeping the fire a quarter mile away from any residential structures. There was encroachment overnight, which we were able to push back."

Lieutenant Mead also said the rain has also helped keep the fire from causing people to evacuate and has given the crews an upper hand on Thursday morning on the chance of getting it contained. Several crews are now taking to the woods during the wet conditions. Mead said they were successful last night in monitoring a portion of the fire that went out on its own.

"Last night we did have an instance where we did let the fire controlled burn into a driveway, and it self-extinguished," Mead said. "That is proof that this does work. Four crews are working in the mountains, cutting in fire breaks, which is basically cutting a path through the woods so the fire doesn't cross it. They have made significant progress. We have had wonderful success with that."

Yet the fire is still zero percent contained. Lieutenant Mead said the cause of the fire is still unclear, but he is advising people to follow their local burn bans. Officials said they remain hopeful they will soon be able to put the fire out.

"We will contain it; the fire will go out on its own, and that will be with the help of Mother Nature," Mead said. "I can tell you that 98 percent of wildfires are a result of human activity. We have no information as to whether that played into this or not."