BUCKSPORT—A controlled blueberry field burn gone bad is being cited as the source of a blaze that blackened more than 20 acres of woods and threatened several Bucksport homes Monday between Route 15 and Town Farm Road.

Hot spots were still being extinguished well into Tuesday afternoon.

Believed to be caused by a controlled blueberry field burn on Friday that smoldered over the weekend, the wind-whipped embers set fire to the adjacent wooded area and spread like proverbial wildfire.

"It’s easily the worst so far this season," said Orland Fire Chief Chris Farley.

Bucksport Fire Chief Gene Weston went one better.

"It’s the worst I’ve seen in the 38 years I’ve been doing this."

Weston added that he’s never seen a fire move as quickly as Monday’s blaze.

Friday’s blueberry burn was conducted by blueberry processor G.M. Allen and Son of Orland, which had been hired by the owners of the field. The burn was carried out under a burn permit issued by the Bucksport Fire Department.

A G.M. Allen field also burned out of control in Orland on May 8, requiring the manpower of numerous local departments.

A dangerous combination of dry conditions and gusting winds combined to spread the fire toward the populated area abutting Route 15 Monday.

Firefighters from 33 departments in Hancock, Penobscot and Waldo counties stopped flames just short of several homes. Helicopters from the Maine Forest Service took water from the Penobscot River to douse the leading edges of the fire.

Compounding the problem were the frequent shifts in wind direction which made containment difficult.

The reasons for burning blueberry fields are numerous with increased yields and pest control being paramount. Blueberry plants spread by underground runners. By burning the fields every other year, blueberry yields are dramatically increased. Burning is accomplished with the aid of tractor-drawn oil burners.

The burn conducted last Friday by G.M. Allen & Son used "the same thing everyone else uses around here: No. 2 heating oil," said Jeff Allen.

Allen also described the procedures used by his company during a blueberry field burn:

"Of course, you walk the area after the burn. We also have a 500-gallon water wagon that we carry behind us and soak the area."

Allen went on to say that in the current weather/fire conditions, "sometimes you just can’t see any evidence" that the fire might still be smoldering.

All 33 departments called in to fight the fire participated in the effort, said Weston.

Bucksport was in charge of the organization of the firefighters and equipment.

With that many skilled hands, special procedures are needed.

"We divide the area into sectors," said Weston, "and assign different teams to different sectors."

There will "definitely" be an investigation into the cause of the fire, said Weston, although a time frame for that investigation has not been worked out.