Smoke has a way of lingering in the memory long after the hazy skies over Cumberland County clear. If you live anywhere near South Mountain, you probably remember that orange, apocalyptic glow from the spring of 2025. It wasn't just a small brush fire. It was a wake-up call. The Michaux State Forest fire—specifically the twin blazes known as the Thompson Hollow and Hammonds Rocks fires—scorched over 2,500 acres. That is a massive footprint for Pennsylvania.
Honestly, we usually look at the West Coast when we think of "big" fires. We see the news from California or Oregon and think, "Man, I’m glad we live in a wet state." But 2025 proved that Pennsylvania isn't immune.
When the Thompson Hollow fire broke out near Shippensburg and Baltimore roads, it moved with a speed that caught plenty of locals off guard. By the time it was joined by the Hammonds Rocks fire just ten miles north, crews were fighting a multi-front war. Over 175 personnel from 159 different fire departments had to jump in. It took nearly a week of grinding work, helicopter water drops from Laurel Lake, and a lot of luck with the weather to finally call it 100% contained.
Why Michaux State Forest Fires are Actually Different
People often ask why these fires happen in the spring. You’d think the forest is still damp from winter snow, right? Kinda, but not really.
In Pennsylvania, our peak fire seasons are spring (March to May) and fall (October to November). It’s basically a math problem involving the "Fire Triangle."
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- The Sun: Before the trees grow their leaves (leaf-on), the sun hits the forest floor directly.
- The Fuel: All those dead leaves from last autumn become bone-dry.
- The Wind: Spring gusts act like a bellows on a forge.
In 2025, we had a "perfect storm" of low humidity and heavy fuel loading. The mountain laurels, which are beautiful when they bloom, basically turned into Roman candles once the fire got into the brush. They have high oil content, and when they burn, they burn hot.
The Human Factor Nobody Wants to Hear
Here is the hard truth that the DCNR (Department of Conservation and Natural Resources) confirmed: 99% of wildfires in Pennsylvania are caused by people.
Think about that.
While lightning causes huge fires out west, it’s almost never the culprit here. In the case of the Michaux State Forest fire events of 2025, officials confirmed they were human-caused. Whether it was a debris burn that got out of hand, a discarded cigarette, or something more intentional, the result was the same: 2,500 acres of habitat charred.
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Southampton Township had to be evacuated. People had to leave their homes with whatever they could grab because someone, somewhere, was likely careless. Josh Thompson from the PA Bureau of Forestry noted that the Thompson Hollow fire alone was one of the largest the state has seen in recent history. It reached over 2,200 acres. In our neck of the woods, anything over a few hundred acres is considered a monster.
Lessons from the Ashes: Protecting Your Home
If you live in what experts call the "Wildland-Urban Interface"—basically where your backyard meets the woods—you've got skin in the game. The 2025 fires came uncomfortably close to structures.
Governor Josh Shapiro even toured the burn sites, pushing for more funding for volunteer fire departments. It's great to have political support, but honestly, the best defense starts at your property line. You don't need to be a professional forester to make your home safer.
The "Immediate Zone" (0-5 feet): This is the most critical area. If an ember lands in a pile of dry leaves against your vinyl siding, your house is in trouble. Clean your gutters. Move the firewood stack away from the porch. Basically, if it can catch a spark, it shouldn't be touching your house.
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The "Intermediate Zone" (5-30 feet): You don't have to clear-cut your yard. Just thin things out. If you have "ladder fuels"—low-hanging branches that allow a ground fire to climb up into the treetops—cut them off. Prune trees up to about 6 to 10 feet from the ground.
Moving Forward in Michaux
Recovery is a slow process. If you hike the Appalachian Trail through Michaux today, you can still see the transition from lush green to the blackened skeletons of trees in the burn scars. The DCNR is working on long-term stewardship, but it takes years for the ecosystem to truly reset.
The big takeaway from the Michaux State Forest fire isn't just about the damage. It's about the risk that stays with us every spring. We live in a beautiful, forested state, but that beauty comes with a responsibility to watch the weather and respect the burn bans.
When the humidity drops and the wind picks up this March, remember Thompson Hollow.
Actionable Steps for the Next Fire Season:
- Check the DCNR Fire Danger Map: Before you even think about a backyard fire, check the daily rating. If it's "High" or "Very High," keep the matches in the drawer.
- Hardening Your Home: Install 1/8-inch metal mesh over attic vents to prevent embers from drifting into your home.
- Respect Road Closures: During the 2025 fires, Ridge Road and Cold Springs Road were closed for a reason. Don't be the person who gets in the way of a fire truck because you wanted a "cool photo" for social media.
- Support Local Volunteers: Most of the people who fought the Michaux fires were volunteers. They need donations for equipment and training—not just food and water during the actual crisis.
The forest will grow back, but the lessons we learned from the 2,500-acre wake-up call shouldn't be forgotten.