ROCKLAND — Ashes from a Saturday night campfire were kicked up by a Sunday afternoon breeze and reignited, spreading flames to nearby grass, then to a shed. In the end, the shed was demolished by the blaze, a large tree was scorched, the side of a Chevy pickup melted, and two homes suffered heat damage.

Rockland’s Fire Department got the call at 1:17 p.m. and upon arrival, found a small shed to the side of a home at 91 West Meadow Road engulfed in flames. 

Inside the shed were two portable propane tanks, which were venting gas, a built-in safety feature that occurs when tanks overheat and pressure builds inside them.

Assistant Rockland Fire Chief Mikial Mazzeo said the fire department immediately began spraying water on the propane tanks to cool them down and keep them from exploding.

The fire began 12 hours after the homeowner had apparently returned from a campfire.

The portable fire pit — a converted lower third of a 55-gallon barrel — had been used for a scouting event at another site. There, the fire was extinguished in the fire pit with water. The fire pit was then placed in the back of a truck, with objects placed on the ashes to weight them down during the transfer of the fire pit back to the Meadow Street home.

Back at home, the homeowner unloaded the fire pit and placed it behind the shed, dumping the ashes out.

But, coals apparently had remained hot and by Sunday afternoon, the wind has spread the ashes to the grass. A fire grew, and then ignited the shed.

The blaze was ferocious enough to cause heat damage the side of the homeowner’s house, as well as a nearby construction trailer, pickup truck, and the vinyl siding of the neighbor’s home.

There was no extension of the fire to the interior of the homes, Mazzeo said.

After the initial knock-down of the fire, Rockland firefighters were able to remove the propane tanks from the shed. 

They had been flowing water constantly onto the tanks to keep them cool until the gas had vented.

“The fire was not made worse by those tanks,” said Mazzeo.

Approximately 35 firefighters arrived at the scene. Rockland responded with one ambulance, three engines, and its tower ladder, which was not used. Rockport responded with two engines and a utility truck. Two Rockland engines and one Rockport truck shuttled from a hydrant on Old County Road.

Mazzeo estimated that 4,000 gallons of water was used to extinguish the fire. Firefighters cleared the scene by 2:50 p.m.

He advised that outdoor fires be completely and substantially extinguished with water.

“Use a rake and a shovel,” he said. “Turn it over, and wet it. Turn it over, and wet it.”

Reach Editorial Director Lynda Clancy at lyndaclancy@penbaypilot.com; 207-706-6657