Fire personnel responded to remote Chappaquiddick Friday to fight a brush fire started by a downed power line.

Ferry co-owner and Chappaquiddick fire station captain Peter Wells oversees fire equipment transport from Edgartown. — Tom Dunlop

Edgartown fire chief Peter Shemeth said the early afternoon fire was sparked in the North Neck area of Chappaquiddick when a tree fell on electrical wires. Chief Shemeth said the falling tree broke the wires and one hit the ground, igniting the fire.

The fire was initially a little difficult to locate on the rural island off Edgartown, Chief Shemeth said, but once responders were on site, “we were able to extinguish it in a short amount of time.”

NStar went over to turn off power to the line, he said.

Chief Shemeth said the fire burned an area of brush roughly 300 feet by 200 feet, “It was a good size area but fortunately the wind wasn’t blowing and we could keep it under control,” he said.

“It was just brush, fortunately,” the chief said, adding that the area was in between two houses.

Chappy ferry co-owner and Chappaquiddick fire station captain Peter Wells was running both ferries to get fire equipment to the island. “All the vehicles were able to get over,” Chief Shemeth said.

Fire trucks and personnel from Chappaquiddick and Edgartown responded to the scene, and West Tisbury responded with tankers and brush breaking vehicles, Chief Shemeth said. Oak Bluffs fire personnel stood by at the Edgartown Fire Station to provide assistance while the Edgartown department fought the fire.

A water tanker from the West Tisbury Fire Department weighs down the bow of the On Time II. — Tom Dunlop

Chief Shemeth praised the mutual aid from other towns. “It was great to have West Tisbury on the scene, and the brush breakers, we needed them to get off the road and get the fire out,” he said. West Tisbury and Chilmark are the only Island towns to have brush breaking vehicles, he said.

“Just knowing they’re there and willing to come down and assist us whenever we need it is peace of mind,” he said. “And Oak Bluffs coming down when all our personnel were over at Chappy, it’s nice knowing that all the towns work together.”

The tree that started the fire likely fell because it was old and rotted, he said. “It was its time and unfortunately wires were in the way,” Chief Shemeth said.

But the chief also said there was a potential silver lining to the fire. “It’s probably good that we got rid of some of the ticks,” he said.

Tom Dunlop contributed reporting.