With wind on the way, more concern about brush fires

(Justine Hunt/Globe Staff)

Firefighters douse a brush fire on Reservation Road in Boston's Hyde Park section over the weekend.

By Martin Finucane, Globe Staff

Brush fires have been breaking out all around the state in recent days. But fortunately, there has been little wind to fan the flames.

On Thursday that will change. Winds of 20 mph gusting to 25 mph are expected and, with low humidity and the woods as dry as a tinderbox, that could spell trouble, said David Celino, chief warden for the state Bureau of Forest Fire Control.

The National Weather Service has issued a Fire Weather Watch from Thursday morning through Thursday afternoon that covers northern Connecticut, southwest New Hampshire, and most of the states of Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

The forecasters said the area of greatest concern was in Massachusetts north of Route 2 and in southwest New Hampshire.

State Fire Marshal Stephen D. Coan today also warned that improperly discarded smoking materials can cause forest fires at this time of year and reminded people that it's illegal to throw cigarettes out of their cars.

“Conditions are perfect right now; the snow pack has receded, we are waiting for new growth to sprout, humidity is low and the days are getting hotter,” Coan said in a statement.

Celino said today has already been a very active day for brush fires, noting a 230-acre blaze burning in Devens, and a 50-acre conflagration in Milford.

Celino said leaf litter, twigs, and shrubs have been dried out because of the recent low humidities and relatively high temperatures and "until those shrub layers and grasses actually green out, we're going to continue to see this extreme fire behavior."

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