Most of #HollisME burned down as well!

The Year a State Burned: #Maine Fires of 1947 Wipe Out 9 Towns

It also destroyed half of Acadia National Park and many Bar Harbor mansions

"An eight-mile-long wall of fire burned in #Kennebunkport. In #NorthWaterboro, nearly 60 residents and volunteers were trapped for more than an hour behind a line of fire before escaping.

"In #YorkCountyME, the fires destroyed most of the homes in #Shapleigh and #Waterboro. then swept toward the sea and consumed swathes of #Alfred, #Lyman, #Newfield, Kennebunk, #Kennebunkport, #Arundel, #Dayton, #Wells, #Biddeford and #Saco."

Read more:
https://newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/maine-fires-1947-year-state-burned/

#Drought #Wildfires #MaineHistory #FireDanger

#Wildfire in nearby #WaterboroMaine right now. Back in 1947, an unusually dry summer led to devastating fires, with nine towns wiped out!

The Year a State Burned: Maine Fires of 1947 Wipe Out 9 Towns

Warning signs of the #Maine fires appeared as early as March. An abnormally warm spring caused snow to melt early in the woods. Mid-July to October were unusually #dry, with 108 consecutive days without rain.

New England Historical Society, updated in 2024

"An eight-mile-long wall of fire burned in #Kennebunkport. In #NorthWaterboro, nearly 60 residents and volunteers were trapped for more than an hour behind a line of fire before escaping.

"In York County, the fires destroyed most of the homes in #Shapleigh and #Waterboro. then swept toward the sea and consumed swathes of #Alfred, #Lyman, #Newfield, #Kennebunk, Kennebunkport, #Arundel, #Dayton, #Wells, #Biddeford and #Saco [and #Hollis]."

Read more:
https://newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/maine-fires-1947-year-state-burned/

#Wildfires #Drought #Drought2024 #Drought1947