Investigation on causes of fires near St. Sauveur hiking trail continues
MOUNT DESERT—What seemed like a beautiful day turned out to be a shocking one for people hiking near St. Sauveur in Acadia National Park, Saturday afternoon, when two wild fires burnt along the St. Sauveur hiking trail in Acadia National Park.
The fire happened just over a year from when approximately half an acre burned on the mountain in April 2024.
According to Amanda Pollock, the park’s spokesperson, Monday, “Fire departments from Southwest Harbor, Mount Desert, and Tremont responded and helped extinguish two fires—one which burned 0.1 acres and another which burned 0.25 acres. The Maine State Forest Service coordinated a water drop from its helicopter. Through this coordinated response, the fire was suppressed by 7:00 p.m.”
“We are grateful for the quick response of all the local agencies who helped us respond to this unexpected incident,” said Superintendent Kevin Schneider. “We are lucky to work with communities who are as dedicated as we are to protecting Acadia National Park and its visitors.”
According to Southwest Harbor Fire Chief Tom Chisholm, “At 4:05 PM on May 11, 2024, the Southwest Harbor Fire Department was dispatched to assist Acadia National Park Rangers with investigating reports of smoke in the vicinity of Lurvey Spring Road and the Long Pond area, as they had no fire crew available.
“Firefighter Maddox Laurendeau (full-time) and Fire Lieutenant Kyle Rounsavall (call member /USCG) promptly responded in Truck 114, Southwest Harbor’s brush/wild land type fire apparatus, and coordinated with Acadia National Park rangers also then in the area to devise a search plan. Firefighters Jack Martel and Fire Captain Chapin McFarland acknowledged the page and responded to the fire house where they readied themselves and remained on standby, ready to provide assistance as required.”
After receiving information from the park, the crew headed to the Acadia Mountain parking lot just over the town line in Mount Desert to access the fire believed still to be in Southwest Harbor, Chisholm said. They believed this would optimize efforts.
“Southwest Harbor Fire Captain McFarland responded after hearing this, with an additional support apparatus establishing a unified command at the Acadia Mountain Parking Lot, located on Route 102,” Chisholm said.
”Unified command bought with it the collaborative effort of all the involved agencies, including the Maine Forest Service, Acadia National Park Mount Desert Fire Department, and later the Tremont Fire Department, with a command post established at the scene,” Chisholm said. “Martel responded just after in Engine 103 with additional equipment and supplies for responders.”
The initial crew of two Southwest Harbor firefighters and two park rangers found the first fire, approximately 40 x 20 yards in size, near the top of St. Sauveur Mountain.
Two teams of three firefighters also hiked up to support the initial crew.
“Additional state and federal resources started to also arrive to the command post and make their way to the fire scene,” Chisholm said. “Swift action by the initial crew contained the fire, while a Maine State Forestry Service helicopter, in coordination with unified command, identified a secondary fire nearby. Resources were deployed as necessary to suppress both fires effectively.”
Maine Forest Service helicopter water drops supplemented ground efforts. Chisholm said this “negated the need for excessive resource allocation in a hard to get to location. Upon confirming extinguishment and ensuring the site’s safety, personnel descended from the mountain.”
”In total, six members from the Southwest Harbor Fire Department worked on scene and One stood by for additional emergency calls should the need arise. Approximately six members from the Mount Desert Fire Department responded to the incident, with additional support from Tremont firefighters as needed,” Chisholm said.
A formal after action for agencies involved has not been yet scheduled. “However, the Southwest Harbor Fire Department as a whole performs one on all major emergencies,” Chisholm said. “As the summer months approach and call volumes increase, mutual aid remains crucial. This incident underscores the effectiveness of local, state, and regional cooperation, especially given the recurrence of fires in the area over the past year.”
Personnel had searched down the trail for other ignition sites, and at 5:17 p.m., it was reported that there was a second ignition site further down a nearby trail with a potential similarly size fire.
Fire crews had to hike up the mountain to locate the fires. The forested trails in that area are considered moderate to difficult. There are steep slopes and granite ridge lines. Scrambling is often involved in hiking portions of the trail.
This incident is currently under investigation by the National Park Service. If you have any information pertinent to the investigation, please email acadia_dispatch@nps.gov.
In Acadia National Park, contained charcoal and wood fires are allowed only in campgrounds and designated picnic areas within park-provided receptacles or in private grills, and they should be monitored closely at all times.
LINKS TO LEARN MORE
Tremont Fire Department’s video of the helicopter is here.
Our earlier post about the fires.
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