Amid windy conditions, Newtown Hook & Ladder and Sandy Hook volunteer firefighters were dispatched to an apparent brush fire at 3:34 pm on Wednesday, March 4, reported by an observer near 55 Church Hill Road, near the Housatonic Railroad’s freight line overpass.

When firefighters arrived, they realized that the fire was actually burning about 2,000 feet north of there, near the railroad tracks that pass beneath the Schoolhouse Hill Road bridge.

On March 5, Fire Marshal Rich Frampton said of the fire, “It was small; it was put out quick.” Some youths had been playing with a cigarette lighter and the flame from it ignited flammable matter on the ground, resulting in a brush fire, Frampton said.

However, because it was a windy day, the brush fire hazard was high and the flames began to spread. It was unclear how much area was burned by the fire.

Realizing the problem that they had created, the unidentified youths called 911 to report the fire, he said. The youths were at the scene of the incident when emergency staffers arrived, he added.

Police spokesman Lieutenant Aaron Bahamonde said that police informed the youths of the seriousness of what they had done in playing with fire. Police turned them over to the custody their parents. Either two or three youths under age 18 were involved in the incident.

The incident is under investigation, Lt Bahamonde said. Police may turn over the matter to the Newtown Juvenile Review Board or to Bridgeport Juvenile Court.