Firefighter dies while battling brush fire on Lamentation Mountain in Connecticut along the New England National Scenic Trail

[Ear Drum]

Some very sad news from Berlin, Connecticut yesterday evening, when a firefighter died while fighting a large 80-90m acre brush fire on Lamentation Mountain in Berlin, CT. His ATV rolling over was the cause, and others were injured. There was a large procession of first responders last night past the UCONN medical center in Farmington, where the victim was taken. Flags are lowered today.

The New England National Scenic Trail (NET) runs along the top of this mountain. I'm sure our CT members have hiked it - I did so with B the Hiker a number of years ago. The entire 235 mile trail goes from the shore of Long Island in Connecticut, up to the Mass / NH line, a little south from Monadnock.

We don't get a lot of brush fires, and had a super wet spring / summer. However this fall season has been unusually dry, and the woods here feel parched. There is a designated NET campsite somewhere on that mountain, but I haven't heard yet if a campfire there started this, or any other suspected cause. I see now the fire danger status has been posted as very high.


report below from: https://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news...hter-killed-at-berlin-hawthorne-fire/3415973/

A Wethersfield firefighter died on Tuesday while responding to a massive brush fire that started in Berlin that has burned more than 100 acres since Monday night and crews from across the state are sharing words of condolence to his family, friends and colleagues.
Robert Sharkevich, 66, died after a utility task vehicle carrying four firefighters rolled over on a trail while working to contain the massive brush fire on Lamentation Mountain, which is now known as the Hawthorne fire.
"Firefighter Robert Sharkevich's dedication to the safety of our community is nothing less than heroic," Gov. Ned Lamont said in a post on X (formerly Twitter, on Wednesday morning.
Firefighter Robert Sharkevich's dedication to the safety of our community is nothing less than heroic. My prayers are with his family and colleagues with the Wethersfield Fire Dept. and Hartford Fire Dept. I have directed flags lowered in his honor."


this link has many pictures and updates: https://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news...urn-days-lamentation-mountain-berlin/3414987/


photo below from Greg Balicki at: https://x.com/gbalicki66/status/1848537536940962104/photo/4

 

[BillyGr]

If that's the same one I saw mentioned elsewhere, there was a vehicle accident somewhere (assuming a road runs near the bottom of the mountain, most likely?) and that was how the fire began. Due to the dry weather as you mention, it spread very quickly (and of course up a mountain would be a logical way to spread, making it that much harder to fight and contain).

 

[DayTrip]

CT is really, really dry right now. There are ponds and brooks I'm used to seeing water in generally all the time and they are bone dry right now. Several brooks in the local park I walk in look like trails. You literally kick up dust walking in them.

This has been a near perfect OCT for weather but I wouldn't mind seeing a good dose of rain for a few days....

 

[Rhody Seth]

Yeah I was over by some ponds on the RI/CT border this past weekend and was shocked how low they were. Probably a good foot or more below where they usually would be.

 

[Dana]

Yes, Connecticut is very dry right now. The accident may have happened up on the mountain; 25 years ago, at least, it was possible to drive a Jeep all the way to the top of the ridge.

 

[BillyGr]

Yes, Connecticut is very dry right now. The accident may have happened up on the mountain; 25 years ago, at least, it was possible to drive a Jeep all the way to the top of the ridge.

Makes sense - just thinking that many mountains wouldn't have such a road (particularly when a fairly major hiking trail is also there), but then again being it says they were using an ATV that caused the death they would need at least some sort of pathway for that...

 

[Andrew]

Lamentation was one of my favorite hiking/climbing playgrounds for many years as a teen, I don't recall a jeep road 40 years ago except maybe coming up out of the quarry area?
I recall dry oak scrub forest and trails full of fallen acorns making ball bearings underfoot.
Really too bad- condolences to family and colleagues.

 

[TomK]

Connecticut, being once pretty much covered with farms, has many roads that have been abandoned without ever having been paved, long enough ago that they often have grown in. The topo map that I use with my Garmin trail GPS shows many such roads, and it isn't unusual for a current trail to use the route of a long ago abandoned, unpaved road.

That topo map shows one road ascending along the ridge that forms Lamantation Mountain from the south, and another, lesser road ascending along the ridge from the north, without the two connecting. Would not be at all surprised if either or both are no longer passable roads (except, to some extent, by an ATV), but are now part of the trail system on the mountain.

TomK

 

[Cumulus]

CT is really, really dry right now.

As an example, this is the Fenton River last weekend.


--

Cumulus

NE111 in my 50s: 115/115 (67/67, 46/46, 2/2)
NE111 in my 60s: 87/115 (62/67, 23/46, 2/2)
NEFF: 50/50; Cat35: 39/39; WNH4K: 41/48; NEHH 89/100
LT NB 2009; CT NB 2017; FHT EB 2023

"I don't much care where [I get to] --" said Alice, "-- so long as I get somewhere," ...
"Oh, you're sure to do that," said the Cat, "if you only walk long enough."
- Lewis Carroll

 

[B the Hiker]

Connecticut, being once pretty much covered with farms, has many roads that have been abandoned without ever having been paved, long enough ago that they often have grown in. The topo map that I use with my Garmin trail GPS shows many such roads, and it isn't unusual for a current trail to use the route of a long ago abandoned, unpaved road.

That topo map shows one road ascending along the ridge that forms Lamantation Mountain from the south, and another, lesser road ascending along the ridge from the north, without the two connecting. Would not be at all surprised if either or both are no longer passable roads (except, to some extent, by an ATV), but are now part of the trail system on the mountain.

TomK

Photo from earlier this week, taken from a newspaper.

I live in Middletown, which abuts Lamentatiion, and the transformation from the spring and most of the summer is stunning. The duck ponds that typically dried up in the summer remained all summer long, and only now are gone or almost so.

As to the trails, Lamentation is just north of a large Middletown park, and there are trails all over the place.

Brian