Mirror photo by Gary M. Baranec Passengers and crew aboard an Amtrak train get an up-close view of the brush fire along Sugar Run Road on Tuesday. Firefighters from multiple fire companies battled the blaze Tuesday afternoon and into the evening. It was hoped that expected thunderstorms would help extinguish the fire Tuesday night.

Smoke and flames stretched across a Blair County mountainside Tuesday afternoon as firefighters worked to battle a large brush fire in the woods near Sugar Run Road.

Aircraft were being used to make water drops during the afternoon and evening.

The fire, near a set of railroad tracks in Allegheny Township, was reported about 12:40 p.m., said District Forester Bob Wetzel, with the Gallitzin State Forest District.

Shortly before 2 p.m., red and orange flames could be seen along the mountainside as they emerged from below lines of white smoke. The blaze was clearly visible from Route 22 between the Altoona and Gallitzin exits.

About 20 minutes earlier, Shawn Lloyd with the Duncansville Volunteer Fire Company waited with vehicles in a gravel lot near the intersection of Sugar Run Road and a dirt lane, which he called M.G. Tower Road.

The dirt road, Lloyd said, leads to the main line train tracks near where the fire burned.

A plume of dark brown and gray smoke was visible from about a mile away toward Altoona.

Lloyd had few details to offer about the blaze. However, he described it as “big” and said it jumped across the dirt road as it spread rapidly.

The fire was able to spread quickly because of dry woodland debris on the forest floor, he said, explaining brush fires are more common before springtime greenery begins to grow.

“(Water) doesn’t really have time to absorb into all this dry stuff,” Lloyd said.

John LaCorte, a National Weather Service meteorologist, agreed.

“Locally, it’s kind of the peak of our fire weather season,” he said.

Windy conditions and warm weather also can exacerbate problems, LaCorte said. National Weather Service forecasts for Tuesday called for a high temperature of 75 degrees with “calm” wind speeds.

Because firefighters were busy fighting flames, they were unable to immediately provide additional details.

Firefighters from numerous local companies remained on the scene throughout Tuesday evening. Then, as darkness fell, a thunderstorm rolled into the area, causing firefighters to vacate the scene.

It was hoped the storm would bring rain to extinguish the blaze.

The cause of the fire was unknown Tuesday evening.

Mirror Staff Writer Sean Sauro is at 946-7535.