Wayland Fire Battles 'Suspicious' Brush Fire on Stonebridge

All off-duty Wayland firefighters were called in early Tuesday morning to support the on-duty crews as a blaze swept through two acres of brush on the south side of Stonebridge Road.

It's the second brush fire in the area in four days. The first occurred Saturday morning, according to the Wayland Fire Log.

According to Deputy Chief David Houghton, there haven't been any particular environmental conditions, such as lightning strikes, that would lead to brush fires. For that reason, Houghton said, the fires are considered suspicious in nature.

A full investigation into the cause, however, is too expensive to pursue since there were no injuries and no structures were damaged, Houghton explained.

According to the fire log, a passing motorist reported the blaze at 4:53 a.m. Tuesday. Houghton said firefighters responded to an area on the south side of Stonebridge Road, near the pump house.

Houghton called the situation Tuesday morning "tricky and dangerous," noting that firefighters were working in the dark on uneven, brush-covered land. He added that the rain later Tuesday would alleviate some of the dryness in the layers of fallen leaves that helped the morning fire spread.

Six fire department vehicles were needed to handle the blaze, and the Natick Fire Department provided coverage of Wayland Fire Station No. 2 during the response.