A fire burning on federal land above Rawe Peak in Dayton is thought to have started when an excavator working in the area hit a power pole and dislodged a power line which ignited the brush, Central Lyon County Fire Chief John Gillenwater said.

A plume of smoke can be seen rising from the end of Como Road in southwest Dayton. Gillenwater said it could take crews an hour to reach the site because the dirt road is not maintained.

It's not immediately clear what work the excavator was doing in the area.

Hand crews are en route to the scene. Air support is unlikely, said Gillenwater.

"There's no aircraft available this time of year. There are some tankers around, but there’s no base managers yet, nobody is mixing the slurry," he said.