Multiple fire companies called to battle blaze in Philipsburg area

Firefighters from several counties battled a wildfire in Rush Township on Thursday.

Hope Fire Company posted at 4:20 p.m. Thursday on Facebook that the Philipsburg Fire Department was assisting Mountain Top Fire Company on a call in the area of Sandy Ridge Trail and Ponderosa Drive.

The location was on state game lands, and Snow Shoe and Port Matilda fire companies were also dispatched. Firefighters from Clearfield and Blair counties were also on the scene.

The state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources observed high fire danger conditions in Centre and Clearfield counties Thursday.

The smoke from the wildfire was visible from State College on Thursday evening.

In a Friday morning Facebook post, Mountain Top Fire Company wrote that crews from the Pennsylvania Game Commission and Bureau of Forestry would remain on scene to finish containing the fire.

“Due to the remote access and constant wind changes, crews had their hands full,” the fire company wrote.

The total acreage is unknown, and the fire is expected to burn throughout Friday, according to a Facebook post from the Columbia Volunteer Fire Company.

This story was originally published April 20, 2023 at 7:38 PM.