IPSWICH — Like a scene out of "Lassie," Robert Lane, 13, followed his barking dog yesterday to a brush fire burning in the woods behind the family's home, then ran to a vernal pool to soak his T-shirt in water to try to put out the 10-foot circle of flames.
"I just wanted to get it out as fast as possible," Robert said.
Discovering the fire was bigger than he thought, Robert ran home to tell his mother, who called the Fire Department at 12:30 p.m. If not detected early by Robert and the family dog, Max, who had escaped its leash, the brush fire could have easily spread and damaged the home and construction business located on their property at 285 High St., David Lane said.
"It could've been 10 times worse," David Lane said by phone last night. "If it wasn't for the dog getting off the leash, we wouldn't have a house."
Firefighters from six communities were able to contain the fire to a 400-by-800 foot area of woods, about three-quarters of an acre, on property across from the Dow Brook Reservoir, said Ipswich firefighter Lee Prentiss. Lane's antique horse-drawn manure spreader was destroyed, but an estimated 30 to 40 pieces of his equipment were not damaged.
No one was hurt, though Robert, a student at Essex Agricultural and Technical High School in Danvers, said he had breathed in a lot of smoke.
After the first call came in, the blaze proved a challenge because firefighters had to keep it from burning the estimated 30 to 40 pieces of equipment stored on the Lane property.
The numerous trucks and tractors also blocked fire lanes and driveways to the back of the property, which had mostly been cleared of trees to create an open field, Prentiss said. The wind made things worse.
"The wind played a factor because (the fire) was moving all around," Prentiss said.
The cause of the brush fire is under investigation, but Prentiss said it could have been sparked by something as simple as a piece of glass that had magnified the sun's rays and heated the underbrush. Lane said a glass piece from a broken tractor headlight may have been to blame.
Prentiss said brush fires are more common this time of year when the trees are bare and the ground is dry. Ipswich has banned residents from burning brush and leaves on their property for this reason.
Approximately 30 to 40 firefighters responded to the fire from Ipswich, Rowley, Hamilton, Wenham, Essex and Manchester. Byfield and Danvers covered the town. It took about two hours to put out the fire.
"We did get lucky," Prentiss said of firefighters keeping the flames contained and away from the home and buildings. "The firefighters did an excellent job."
David Lane said he was working on front steps to the chapel at Gordon College in Wenham when he was called about the fire. When he arrived, he saw what looked like an acre up in flames.
"I thought it was a goner," he said of his property.
David Lane said he pitched in to fight the flames and even used one of his excavators to move piles of brush around.
David Lane was thankful firefighters worked to keep the flames from devouring his construction equipment.
"Otherwise, it would be tough to make a living," he said.
He's also grateful his dog slipped off its leash and his son cared enough to go looking for him.
"He's a good kid," David Lane said about his son, who turns 14 next week.
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