(NEWS CENTER Maine) — Large brush fires originating in two separate areas of Maine burned a total of more than 100 acres Wednesday.
Maine Forest Service rangers, assisted by multiple area firefighters, as of 9 p.m. Wednesday were still battling a 60-acre fire off Route 99 that had spread to three towns in southern Maine — Kennebunk, Sanford and Wells. Its origin was not immediately known.
PHOTOS: 60-acre wildfire in Kennebunk, Sanford, Wells area
Structure protection was implemented for several homes in the area, the service said. Four rangers were on scene with firefighters and two dozers were actively lining fire.
According to a district ranger, an investigator had been assigned to work on determining the origin and cause of the fire in the Kennebunk area.
Rangers reported unusual behavior from the fire in Kennebunk. They noted that, typically, behavior moderates at night due to air temperature drops and humidity rising, but this one was showing moderate and active behavior.
Earlier in the day, forest rangers and a couple of on-call firefighters helped extinguish a 52-acre brush fire in Atkinson, which is located in Piscataquis County.
► PHOTOS | 52-acre wildfire in Atkinson