Officials say Massachusetts is experiencing an "unprecedented" fall fire season amid widespread, critical drought conditions. With a red flag warning up for the entire state, Governor Maura Healey and others gave an update Tuesday as fire crews work to contain the flames.
Healey, joined by fire officials in Middleton in the state's northeast, called on residents to heed local warnings as the state grapples with fires of various sizes across the Commonwealth.
“… and please, everybody, just use common sense and don't contribute to creating risks: no fire pits, no charcoal grilling, no burning leaves - nothing that can send sparks right now,” the governor said.
A short distance away, crews had been working to put out one of the state’s largest fires, the Middleton Pond Fire - believed to be 80 percent contained, with 242 acres scorched.
Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island were under a red flag warning, with rapidly drying fuel sources emerging and wind gusts hitting 25-35 miles per hour.
For weeks, worsening conditions have prompted community bans on outdoor fires, as fire departments address what Department of Conservation and Recreation Chief Fire Warden Dave Celino calls a fluid situation.
“We average 15 fires, wildland fires in the last six years, in the month of October, and we're at 212 logged into the system here this year, and on day 12 of November, we're at actually 261,” he said. “Those numbers are fluid, by the way - there's so much activity going on that they're changing by the hour as we get fires into the system.”
Up and down western Massachusetts, crews have been working to contain blazes, including what's been dubbed the Moose Meadow Fire in and around Montgomery.
Over the weekend, the local fire department shared video of air crews dousing the area.
At least 60 acres were believed to have been burned, according to early estimates. Miles away last week, a small brush fire in Chicopee was smokey enough to close down the Mass Pike in both directions.
Calling the number of fires unprecedented, State Fire Marshal Jon Davine reminded residents to call authorities when they see smoke, with urgency being key to any response.
“Any fire will spread quickly and will become very difficult to control,” he explained. “The fire will burn wide and it will burn deep into the ground. Follow all local and state guidance on outdoor fires, and use extra caution with anything that could create sparks or embers, like power equipment or fireplace ashes, and if you see smoke or flames nearby, call 911 right away. The sooner we hear about a fire, the better chance we have of containing it.”
Low precipitation over the last two months has led to extensive drought conditions.
According to the state Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, central and northeast Massachusetts are experiencing Level 3, critical drought conditions.
To the west, Hampden, Hampshire, Franklin and Berkshire counties are said to be at Level 2 as the region experiences significant droughts.
The situation has worsened to a point where Healey is calling for locals to conserve water as demand for it spikes in order to fight flames throughout the state.
“Our groundwater levels have declined - that means there's less in our rivers and in our lakes, and it means I'm asking the public to conserve water at this time, because we need it to fight fires,” she said. “It's really important that people do things like run their dishwasher less frequently, make sure you're running your washing machine only at full capacity. Take shorter showers … and fix plumbing leaks immediately. This is important because we’ve got to conserve water because it's being used right now to fight these fires.”
