Brush fire burns 100 acres of Adamstown field

May 15, 2024

Reporter

A farm tractor pulls a disc harrow in a field to prevent a fire from spreading at a brush fire in Adamstown on Thursday afternoon.

A farm tractor pulls a disc harrow in a field to prevent a fire from spreading at a brush fire in Adamstown on Thursday afternoon.

Firefighters battled a quickly spreading brush fire in the cornfields of Adamstown on Thursday afternoon

The fire burned about 100 acres of cornfield and hay between two farms in the area of Adamstown Road and New Design Road, Sarah Campbell, a spokeswoman for the Frederick County Division of Fire and Rescue Services, said.

Fire and Rescue did not know what caused the fire and was investigating, she said.

Because of the windy conditions, the fire spread fast.

It took more than 100 firefighters from Frederick County, Montgomery County, Loudoun County and Fort Detrick two hours to contain the fire and an additional hour and a half to extinguish it, Campbell said.

One firefighter was treated for minor burns, Campbell said. No structures were damaged, she added.

Ronnie and Karen Jones live in the last house on Adamstown Road before the fields that burned. They didn’t see the field near their house catch fire, but they saw what followed.

“I just saw a billow of smoke,” said Ronnie, 72, demonstrating by moving his arms up and out.

The Joneses said they were initially concerned, but as the fire was put out on their end and the wind blew it away from their house, they weren’t as worried.

The cornfield near their home was left with a charred scar. Wisps of smoke trailed in the wind as firefighters doused the rest of the field.

Farther down New Design Road, where it intersects with Doubs Road, Doug Agnes, 51, was standing on his pickup truck as he watched the smoke and lights from the firetrucks.

His daughter heard about the fire from a Paisano’s Pizza group chat she’s in, he said. A delivery driver saw the smoke and notified other employees.

Agnes went to check to see which way the fire was going and make sure his family was safe.

He also said he hoped Ollie, a cat that lives on the farm, was OK. The tabby would often come to his home at Greenhill Manor, he said.

Fire and Rescue Services responded to the scene at 1:57 p.m., Campbell said. Additional alarms were put out afterwards, bringing 50 units from all over the region.

Follow Clara Niel on Twitter: @clarasniel

Reporter

If the source was near the road, you can bet some imbecile flicked a lit cigarette out the window. I can't count how many times I see them sparking down the highways to stop and smolder on the shoulders. Had many hit my windshield and one came in an open window and burned a hole in the car seat. Put your F*ing thing in an ash tray or anywhere else but out the window.

You need to chill

[beam][tongue]

Just think how bad it might have been if we hadn't been getting a lot of rain.

That explains the smoky smell in the air in West Frederick this evening. It's fortunate that nobody was hurt.

Log In

Keep it clean. No vulgar, racist, sexist orsexually-oriented language.Engage ideas. This forum is for the exchange ofideas, not personal attacks or ad hominem criticisms.TURN OFF CAPS LOCK.Be civil. Don't threaten. Don't lie.Don't bait. Don't degrade others.No trolling. Stay on topic.No spamming. This is not the place to sell miraclecures.No deceptive names. Apparently misleadingusernames are not allowed.Say it once. No repetitive posts, please.Help us. Use the 'Report' link for abusiveposts.

Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to read or post comments.

Get the insider's scoop on the best that Frederick has to offer with Frederick Hometown Guru.

Looking to hire in Frederick? Reach jobseekers in print and online. Email [email protected].

Our local business directory includes detailed information for featured businesses as well as customer reviews and direct links to related events.