Francesca Paris is reporting for The Berkshire Eagle firefighters battling the East Mountain Fire that spread across nearly 1,000 acres in the Clarksburg State Forest, near North Adams, Mass., have shifted to a patrol and mop-up operation. The fire was 90 percent contained as of late Tue., May 18, according to the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services. As of the previous day, approximately 950 acres had burned. State and federal firefighters shifted their focus early Tuesday to patrolling the perimeter of the fire and putting out hotspots. "We'll probably hold it in that status for the next couple of days because we don't have any rain," said Dave Celino, chief fire warden for Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation. Tuesday was the fifth day of fighting Massachusetts' largest wildland fire in more than 20 years. The fire started in Williamstown on May 14 and burned approximately 180 acres by the next day. Over the weekend, it spread over the Appalachian Trail and across Clarksburg State Forest and reached some 800 acres total by Monday morning. A total of approximately 120 professional and volunteer firefighters from Massachusetts and Vermont successfully contained the fire. Celino said the drought last year appears to have made the forest's supply of leaves, logs and sticks abnormally dry, helping the fire spread quickly. Williamstown Fire Chief Craig Pedercini said that residents should expect to see smoke even after the fire is fully contained. Read the full story in The Berkshire Eagle.