A wildfire that burned 314 acres near the Kennebunk-Sanford town line was brought under control by late Thursday afternoon.

Sanford Fire Chief Steve Benotti said fire crews had cleared the scene, but will continue to monitor the affected area for the next couple of days.

“The fire is fully under control, but we’re going to monitor the region for hot spots,” Benotti said.

The fire, which started Wednesday afternoon, drew 80 firefighters from more than a dozen communities.

No injuries were reported and the fire did not damage nearby homes.

George Harris, district ranger for the Maine Forest Service, said a helicopter was used to fight the fire Thursday morning. Drones were also used to get a better look at parts of Sanford, Kennebunk and Wells affected by the fire. The forest service used GPS Thursday morning to determine the exact acreage of the wildfire.

Harris said a light rain that fell Thursday afternoon helped firefighters bring the blaze under control.

The GPS mapping of the perimeter showed the fire spread to over 314 acres. Previous information from the forest rangers indicated the fire had spread to 75 acres.

The fire service said Wednesday evening that protections for several nearby homes had been put in place.

The fire was first reported in the vicinity of 22 Wild Turkey Lane in Kennebunk at 3:53 p.m. Wednesday. The cause was unknown, but most of southern and coastal Maine was in a moderate fire danger zone Wednesday.

Fire officials believe the fire started in Sanford before it spread to Kennebunk. A wooded area in Wells was also affected.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

The affected area is a large piece of land just south of the city-owned Sanford Seacoast Regional Airport between Routes 99 and 109.

The forest service issued warnings to property owners to be extra cautious when burning brush or materials. Rangers say that the chance of a wildfire breaking out is very high right now because forests and open spaces have not had enough time to grow greenery. The Maine Department of Transportation also issued a warning Wednesday urging drivers to refrain from throwing cigarettes out car windows.

Gillian Graham can be contacted at 791-6315 or at:

ggraham@pressherald.com

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