A boy was taken to the hospital after a lawnmower erupted in flames and spread to the forest and a nearby barn house on Spaulding Road in Plainfield Thursday afternoon.
The blaze started with a lawnmower fire and spread north into the forest, burning for 6 to 8 acres, ravaging a barn at 246 Spaulding Road. The fire left burnt leaves on area driveways.
"It was challenging because we had two fires to deal with. The fire in the barn as well as the fire that was spreading north through the woods and we had to split our crews accordingly, so that left us a little short until we can get some mutual aid companies coming in," Plainfield Fire Marshal Paul Yellen said.
A boy was in the barn house at the time of the fire and was taken to an area hospital as a precaution after the flames singed his hair.
Neighbors saw the fire and immediately knew that their homes could be threatened, so they took steps to prevent the fire from spreading further.
"I moved the vehicles out of the driveway, got my water hose out and started wetting down the leaves on the edge of the driveway and do the thing if it decided to poke its little head up," Plainfield resident Phyllis Bain said.
About 35 firefighters from area departments, including Lisbon, Griswold and Jewett City, responded.
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The fire was still active and burning as of 3:25 p.m., dispatchers said.
About seven fire departments have been called in and Spaulding Road is partially shut down as crews respond.
Check back for updates.
