Penobscot wildland fire 80% contained

Cause of fire that burned more than five acres under investigation

Fire crews were aided by two bulldozers that created a fire break line. Photo courtesy of the Penobscot Fire Department.

Aug. 30, 2026

By Staff

PENOBSCOT–A wildland fire that burned over five acres in Penobscot on Aug. 29 is 80% contained, fire officials said.

At least 12 departments responded to the fire, which was first spotted at 11:38 a.m. on Aug. 29 near the intersection of the Dunbar Road and Castine Road in Penobscot, according to a press release from the Penobscot Fire Department. A local resident and someone mowing a nearby field reported it, officials said.

About 50 volunteer firefighters arrived at the scene throughout the afternoon to fight the blaze, which at times ignited trees as high as 100 feet tall. Crews laid out thousands of feet of hoselines into the densely forested area to attack the fire, while other teams used portable water packs and hand tools, officials said.

The Maine Forest Service used a helicopter to drop water from the air on two separate sorties from its air base in Old Town.

Privately owned bulldozers from Seal Ledge Marina and Bowden & Son Disposal also assisted crews by cutting a 25-foot-wide fire break line around the perimeter of the blaze. Additional personnel from Meadowsweet Tree and Landscape from Penobscot assisted with tree cutting, along with arborist Jan Ordway.

The fire was largely contained around 9 p.m. on Aug. 29. Crews returned at 5 a.m. on Aug. 30 to continue operations and to deal with any flare-ups.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, Penobscot Fire Chief James Clarke said.

The Maine Forest Service dropped water from the air to fight the fire. Photo courtesy of the Penobscot Fire Department.

Departments from across the Blue Hill Peninsula and beyond arrived to assist Penobscot, including Castine, Orland, Blue Hill, Bucksport, Surry, Brooksville, Sedgwick, Deer Isle, Stonington, Trenton, Hancock, and Sullivan.

“Conditions in our area are very dry. Thankfully, wind speeds were relatively low, even though the direction was constantly changing, or this fire would have burned much more than five acres. It’s important to remain extremely vigilant about fires,” Penobscot Fire Chief James Clarke said.

“I want to thank all the departments who showed up to help with this very large operation,” Clarke continued. “We are also grateful for the food and water supplies we received from Northern Bay Market in Penobscot, Auxford Market in Castine and Hannaford in Blue Hill.”

Hayden Daigle, a forest ranger with the Maine Forest Service, said that the area is experiencing drought conditions.

“We need saturating rain to bring soils out of drought status,” said Daigle, who was on the scene at the fire. “What makes fighting this fire difficult is that there’s about two feet of duff layer–basically combustible, organic material–that can burn for days on end underground. We urge people to be cautious with all outdoor fires right now.” 

Castine Road is still closed to traffic. Emergency crews are expected to remain at the scene throughout the day and will continue to monitor it tomorrow, Aug. 31.