UPDATE: Blue Mountain fire in cleanup phase after scorching nearly 600 acres

LEHIGH TWP., Pa. — A Blue Mountain brush fire that has ravaged nearly 600 acres since Saturday is in the “cleanup phase,” officials said Tuesday.

“We've entered what's called the cleanup phase,” said Jim Hyland, a retired forester with the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources who also covers the fire.

“That pretty much means we’re no longer directly fighting the fire.

“The fire is no longer progressing in any direction and we are working hard with hose laying, shovels and picks to dig out hotspots underground.”

The Gap Fire, which broke out Saturday near Route 248 in Lehigh Township, was 25% contained at 577 acres as of late Monday, an update from Jeremy Hamilton, incident commander, said.

“It's only 25% contained because there's only 25% of the line where we can really say we're 100% sure the fire can't start again,” Hyland said.

That update, posted on the Lehigh Township Volunteer Fire Company's Facebook page, said personnel at the top of the mountain along the Appalachian Trail were “able to prevent forward spread while crossing the ridge to the north.”

“In addition, crews were able to stop the spread eastward above Timberline Road,” the update said.

Hamilton emphasized in his message that the 124 employees on site will have “many days of hard work” ahead.

This work includes securing the perimeter and deleting hotspots.

“Due to the risk to the general public, we ask residents and recreational activities to avoid the fire area as work is still ongoing there and there are risks from hotspots and falling trees,” the update said.

With this update came news that the threat to homes on Timberline Road had “significantly diminished.”

“People will still see glowing trees and pockets of inner activity,” Hamilton wrote. “There will still be smoke for the foreseeable future.”

The “cleanup phase” could last until the end of this week, Hyland said.

“There's a lot of organic material down there that could burn and smolder for days and days and days and come back up somewhere across the country, across the control lines, and then start another fire,” he said. “Especially in windy, dry conditions.”

No origin or cause could be determined.

The fire is entering its fourth day

The state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources' night shift monitored the fire overnight, with local crews keeping fire watch behind homes.

Firefighters will continue to work at the scene and monitor conditions after deploying heavy ground equipment and helicopters capable of dropping hundreds of gallons of water in recent days.

About 30 state and local fire departments were involved in the operations, officials said.

Lehigh Township Volunteer Fire Company Deputy Chief Brian Krische said it was a fire unlike anything seen in decades.

“This is the biggest fire we’ve had in 25 years,” he told LehighValleyNews.com on Monday.

The fire remains under investigation, but no structures were destroyed and no injuries were reported.

On Monday evening, Blue Mountain Resort in Palmerton reported the fire was about 4 miles from the resort.

“We are using our pumps and water retention ponds to help fill fire tanks,” a Facebook post said.

The area is in desperate need of rain and could finally get it this weekend.

A stronger system “could finally bring the region's first widespread rainfall in more than a month,” the National Weather Service said.

This could be reinforced by some remaining tropical moisture from Rafael, which is currently a tropical storm in the Caribbean and is “expected to move northwest as a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico later this week,” the updates said.

Based on forecast trends, meteorologists expect Rafael's remnants to be absorbed into a larger system to the interior south and move into our region on Sunday, although great uncertainty remains.

Officials with the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources announced Tuesday a ban on campfires in state parks and forest lands until further notice. Prescribed burns were also paused.

“While Pennsylvania experienced heavy rainfall and flooding over the summer, recent dry conditions coupled with sunny days, unusually warm temperatures and low humidity have increased the risk of wildfires,” a news release said. “The 10-day forecast for most of Pennsylvania predicts little or no precipitation, making an already dire situation even worse.”

Statewide, 100 wildfires were reported last week, and many more went unreported, officials said.

“Leaf litter, fine twigs and dried branches are the primary fuel sources for a fire that could burn out of control – combined with our current dry conditions, we have a potential recipe for disaster,” said DCNR Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn. “I encourage Pennsylvanians to avoid fires in all areas as this is the best way to protect the people who are putting their lives at risk to protect our community from wildfires.”

This is how you help

On Monday, the Greater Northern Lehigh Chamber announced an emergency fundraiser, organized with support from the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, aimed at providing critical assistance to local volunteer fire departments and emergency response teams battling to contain the fire.

A press release said the “urgent efforts are aimed at supporting the volunteer fire departments and emergency response teams who have worked tirelessly to protect the area and contain the flames.”

Here's how you can contribute:

• Cash or check donations:
  • Visit Neffs National Bank locations to contribute.
    • 5629 Pennsylvanian Route 873, Neffs 18065
    • 211 S. Best Ave., Walnutport 18088
  • Donations can be mailed to Neffs National Bank
    • 5629 Route 873, PO Box 10, Neffs 18065

Anyone wishing to drop off a check at any Neffs National Bank location should have the check made payable to the Greater Northern Lehigh Chamber.

• You may also mail a check made payable to GLVCC or drop it off at any chamber office in the greater Lehigh Valley area.

• Venmo: Donations can also be sent via Venmo to the Chamber (@GLVCC) with the memo: Initiative to Support Local Fire Departments
• Credit card donation and other requests: Call Jessica O'Donnell-Gower at (610) 573-4010 or Elyse Cuttic at (484) 834-7868.

The Lehigh Township Volunteer Fire Company is coordinating hot food donations and asking residents not to drop off hot food.

“We also have plenty of water and supplies,” it said in a Facebook post Monday evening.