After a dry month, brush fires break out across N.E.
Mass. asks halt to burning permits
Some of the worst brush fires this year flared across New England yesterday, as Massachusetts officials asked municipal fire departments to stop issuing outdoor burning permits and declared an extreme fire danger.
People who already hold burning permits can still use them for now. But the state fire marshal and Department of Conservation and Recreation could order an all-out ban on burning if rains predicted for today don't improve conditions.
The last ban on fires was during the last week of April 2005, which was also the last time the entire state reached a class five fire danger. State officials say this was the driest March on record since 1915.
''The little snow we have on the ground and March's record low precipitation, combined with the winds we have today are the reasons why the warnings have been issued," said State Fire Marshal Stephen D. Coan. He urged people to pay attention to how they dispose of cigarette butts and any other careless behavior that could start fires.
The brush fires yesterday were some of the biggest so far this year.
Firefighters in Medford responded yesterday morning to a two-alarm blaze off Route 28 near Wright's Pond with eight fire engines and 30 firefighters. The fire was the biggest so far this season and quickly got out of control due to high winds, Medford Deputy Fire Chief Martin Cunniff said.
In Bridgewater, a wildfire burned 10 acres in a wooded area between Routes 18 and 28. Officials believe youths may have started the fire, but it is under investigation. The Fire Department said it was the first blaze of this size to hit Bridgewater this year.
In Ashby, firefighters from several nearby towns in New Hampshire and Massachusetts helped battle a blaze in woods on Valley Road, alongside a state park. This was the first fire this year in which Ashby firefighters had to seek help to bring a blaze under control.
In Salem, N.H., kids playing with matches caused a four-alarm fire that started in a backyard and spread to a nearby shed, sending flames 30-to-50 feet into the air, causing heat damage to two homes.
''The conditions outside are conducive to fast-moving fires," warned Salem Fire Department Deputy Chief Mike Wallace.
According to the National Weather Service, rain predicted for today is not likely to amount to much more than a quarter of an inch. While that should bring down fire danger today, the weather service said, there could be renewed concerns tomorrow.
''If we don't get some precipitation, it will be a very hard month," Coan said. ''April is the cruelest of all months when it comes to forest fires." 