Public Help Requested In Determining Cause Of Soldiers Delight Brush Fire

OWINGS MILLS - The Maryland Office of the State Fire Marshal is seeking public help in determining the cause of the massive brush fire that enveloped Soldiers Delight Park on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Investigators are asking that anyone in the serpentine trail of Soldiers Delight Overlook area between 2:30-3:30 p.m. on Tuesday call them at 410-386-3050.

Additionally, anyone on the serpentine trail behind the visitor center on Sunday afternoon should report what they saw.

The Maryland Army National Guard has also released more information about its role in extinguishing the blaze.

According to officials, civil authorities requested support from the Maryland National Guard and the 29th Combat Aviation Brigade. The guard brought its UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter carrying a 660-gallon water bucket suspended by cable to the scene.

During the first day of the incident, the helicopter made around a dozen trips to Liberty Reservoir, returning to drop water on the fire. Aviation crews returned the following day to continue their work. According to the National Guard, over the span of two days, the helicopter dropped approximately 45 buckets of water to contain the fire and suppress the remaining hotspots.

To facilitate the large-scale aerial operation, Maryland Army National Guard Soldiers set up a temporary fuel point at Camp Fretterd Military Reservation in Reisterstown so the crew would not have to return to Aberdeen Proving Grounds for refueling.