OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Wednesday marks the second day fire crews battled a wildfire fire in Owings Mills.
Dozens of families were evacuated, and crews were still working to put out hot spots.
Around 700 acres were burned around the Soldiers Delight Natural Environment Area off Deer Park Road and Wards Chapel.
RELATED: Breaking down the Owings Mills fire
Elise Armacost, Public Information Officer for the Baltimore County Fire Department, said it was hard to get control of the blaze because it sits in a non-hydrant area.
“They knew immediately this was not your typical brush fire. We get a lot of brush fires this time of year because the conditions are right for it,” Armacost said.
Fire officials said battling a brush fire of about four or five acres is typical, but on Tuesday afternoon they called eight-alarms due to how fast flames were spreading.
Armacost said they haven't battled a fire that large in around 50 years.
“We had a major fire and explosion at the suburban propane facility in Upperco. But it’s literally been that long since we had anything of this magnitude,” Armacost said.
Around 30 families were displaced and multiple surrounding jurisdictions were called in to help totaling about 200 firefighters.
At midnight, Wednesday, Fire Chief Joanne Rund said crews had about 95 percent of the fire under control by utilizing every resource imaginable.
“In addition to the ATV's we have behind us, we have brush trucks that he was talking about that are pickup trucks with hose lines on them. We also have what are called tankers, and those tankers will carry anywhere from 2,500 gallons to 5,000 gallons,” Rund said.
They also used water from the fire engines and the Maryland National Guard that’s dumped more than a dozen rounds of water carrying 600 gallons each. Rund said crews will continue putting out hot spots and monitoring what's left burning.
“We've got to make sure that we keep what is currently burning under control,” Rund said.
Gilbert Wagner, a fire specialist with the Maryland Forest Service, urged people in the area to keep any eye on anything that could cause a spark.
“Watch outdoor burning, watch cigarettes, any type of sparks, as soon as you see one call immediately because you see how fast it can spread,” Wagner said.
The families who had to evacuate have since been allowed to return to their homes.
