Firefighters battling the state’s largest recorded wildfire gained the upper hand on the estimated 2,865-acre blaze Thursday. The fire was declared contained by incident commander Mike Bowden, fire program administrator for the ODNR Division of Forestry late Thursday afternoon.

“Containment of this fire means that we have a secure line around the perimeter, and we will now concentrate on continuing to patrol the line and watch for hot spots which could still burn inside the fire line in the larger fuels even after the predicted rains,” said Bowden. “The Division of Forestry is proud of the hard work and teamwork that brought us to this point.”

The wildfire, which was suspected to have been caused by arson, began Friday evening and quickly became a large incident. A team of volunteer fire departments, several ODNR divisions, US Forest Service, and retired state wildfire experts combined with Ohio Division of Forestry firefighters to field more than 150 ground and support forces.

Specially equipped wildfire dozers, brush trucks, tankers, drop tanks, and a Division of Wildlife helicopter were among the equipment deployed. The helicopter provided critical reconnaissance and mapping assessment as well as making more than 300 aerial water bucket drops to cool the most active portions of the fire for the crews on the ground.

The backpack and bridle trails south and west of State Route 125 will remain closed indefinitely for public safety. State Forest Road 2 from the Road 1 and Road 2 intersection west to Upper Twin Creek Road/CR 96 will remain closed until wildfire mop-up control measures are completed.

Visit www.ohiodnr.com for more information about forest resource management and wildfire control.