Blue Mountain has been burning for three days now as crews in Lehigh Township attempt to keep a wildfire contained and away from homes.
Thick white smoke could be seen rising from a Pennsylvania mountain as a wildfire burned for its third day on Monday.
Skyforce10 capture flames burning through wooded areas of Blue Mountain in the Lehigh Valley just after daybreak on Nov. 4, 2024.
The brush fire was first reported on the afternoon of Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, in Lehigh Township, firefighters said. Northampton County reported the fire spread to 150 acres by Saturday and was expected to spread to 200 acres.
"Crews are cutting lines to box the fire in so it can burn itself out," the county wrote on Facebook.
Get top local stories in Philly delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC Philadelphia's News Headlines newsletter.
Crews on Sunday cut off the fire before it could approach homes along Timberline Road, according to the Lehigh Township Volunteer Fire Co.'s Facebook page.
"The fire is moving slowly down the mountain as planned and the backburn secured the southwest area," wrote the Lehigh Township Volunteer Fire Co. "In simple terms.... There are crews all around the fire overnight working and will be in structural protection locations into the morning, we will continue to update you in the morning."
The Lehigh Township firefighters said they handed off the firefight to the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation & Natural Resources' State Wildland Crews heading into Monday.
Local
Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood.
About 100 DCNR workers and some local firefighters joined helicopters to continue to battle the blaze Monday, Northampton County said.
No injuries have been reported.
The fire was only 20% contained as of Sunday as more than 200 volunteers and nearly three dozen DCNR firefighters battled the blaze, the county said.
"Even after the fire is contained and extinguished there will be days or weeks of managing flare ups or hot spots," the county wrote.
Sign up for our Breaking newsletter to get the most urgent news stories in your inbox.
