SPENCER, Mass. - Firefighters in Spencer are urging the public not to start any outdoor fires as they continue battling a brush fire near South Spencer Road.

Despite the efforts of 15 local fire departments over the weekend using a combined 90,000 gallons of water, there were still additional hotspots to take care of on Sunday.

Deputy Chief Corey LaCaire and several others were on the scene kicking up debris in the woods, where the fire is estimated to have burned two feet under the ground.

“Yesterday, the danger was falling branches and overexertion,” LaCaire said. “It’s just a lot of backbreaking work.”

The fire was caused by a nearby resident burning trash illegally, and LaCaire said the dry weather lately has made for some of the most dangerous conditions he’s seen in his career.

He wants the public to understand the current danger amid this long stretch of dry weather.

“Please, no outside fires until we get serious rain,” LaCaire said. “No cooking hot dogs, no cooking marshmallows. If you’re cooking on your gas grill, please pay attention to it.”

One challenge in particular has been the fire burning roughly two feet into the ground, fueled by fallen leaves and other debris.

“This is extreme danger right now,” LaCaire said. “The fire behavior we saw here on Friday, in 29 years, I’ve never seen it. We had a 10-foot wall of flames, wind-driven fire. The wind took it, and before anybody could say anything, it was 10 acres.”

The Auburn Fire Department helped cover other calls in Spencer over the weekend, including two other illegal burns.

Crews are planning to revisit the site every day this week to make sure it doesn’t flare up again.