A weekend lightning strike appears to have started the woods fire that several towns helped Wiscasset put out throughout Monday afternoon, a state ranger said.

The lightning appeared to travel to multiple trees, Dan Skillin of the Maine Forest Service said Monday evening at the blackened scene off Willow Lane.

A Wiscasset firefighter hospitalized for heat exhaustion was released Monday night and was doing well, Fire Chief T.J. Merry said Tuesday.

Wiscasset received help on the scene from Boothbay, Alna, Dresden, Westport Island, Woolwich and Newcastle, Merry said. Damariscotta minded Wiscasset’s station.

The mutual aid was important to keeping the fire from getting worse, Merry said.  He added, however, that weekday manpower continues to be a problem for towns. All the towns were able to send a total of about 35 firefighters, he said.

Skillin estimated about a half-acre burned. At 5 p.m., firefighters were checking for any remaining hot spots, including around root systems, they said.

The fire was located about 1,000 feet in from the road and the woods had dead fall from the winter, so firefighters had to walk the hose in, Merry said. Plans called for leaving the hose on-scene until morning in case a flare-up was reported overnight, he said.