Rainfall expected to ease fire risk

Blazes reported in Eastern Mass.

Dry, windy conditions over the past two weeks have led to an increase in woodland fires across the region, continuing yesterday with brush fires reported in Hyde Park, Granby, Melrose, Marlborough, and Milford.

"It's just something you deal with every season . . . until the foliage turns green," said Stephen Krysa, a fire lieutenant in Marlborough, where a burning car on the median of Interstate 495 spread to some thick brush on the side of the highway yesterday.

The lack of a ready water supply in the area caused firefighters to spend more than an hour working on a seemingly small fire, Krysa said.

In Boston, the Fire Department dealt with two large brush fires in Hyde Park, on April 19 and again yesterday. A third brush fire broke out in Dorchester yesterday afternoon.

"It has been a while since we've had any sizable amount of rain," said Steve MacDonald, spokesman for the Boston Fire Department. "Rain would be welcome just to get some moisture into the ground."

But firefighters may see some relief soon, as forecasters said yesterday that the proverbial April showers are likely over the next two or three days.

Eastern Massachusetts has had less than 1 1/2 inches of rainfall this month, nearly 2 inches below average, said Charlie Foley, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Taunton.

"We anticipate that it could be a good, soaking rain," Foley said.

"Some locations will have 2 inches-plus, but, by general rule, it's a good soaking rain that should help to alleviate the brush fire problem for most of the locations in southern New England," he added.