The rain is helping slow the growth of the Butternut fire in Great Barrington.

Fire Lt. Brian Mead said crews have made great progress cutting fire breaks through the woods to control the expansion.

“Those control lines are holding. Despite the rain, smoke from this fire will continue to affect the air quality. Poor air quality can make those with allergies worse and cause respiratory infection, especially for people with heart disease, asthma and other respiratory diseases,” he said during an afternoon media briefing.

Mead said there will be a much smaller crew made up of local departments out on Friday monitoring the fire, which has consumed over 1,100 acres.

He said they are also suspending requests for donations and asking people to donate to local food pantries.

The cause and origin of the fire is under investigation. Mead said there has been a lot of misinformation out on social media, and he advised people to rely on official sources such as the department’s Facebook page.

The fire did not start on the Appalachian Trial, according to Mead, but a section is closed because of the damage. Also, Eisner Camp was not the origin, he said.

The department will no longer hold regular media briefings unless there are significant new developments.

There has been just one injury to date, Mead said. 

“Please, please follow the local and state bans on outdoor fires,” he said.