Brush Fires Char Dozens of Acres in Tioga County

Minor damage is being reported to a few homes in Tioga County as firefighters battled several brush fires, driven by high winds March 24.

The Waverly Fire Department worked at a blaze off Levis Road with the flames being driven uphill toward Agony Hill Road.  Residents in that neighborhood were evacuated and some homes sustained melted siding as a result of the brush fire.

Another brush fire near Ranch Road in Barton drew fire crews a couple hours later.

There were no injuries reported.

Fire officials believe, in spite of a state-wide ban on open burning through mid-may, the Barton fire started with a fire in a burn pit.

Firefighters from 25 companies in Tioga and Chemung Counties in New York and Bradford County in Pennsylvania responded to the brush fires.