Red flag warning issued as crews continue to fight fires in drought-stricken Massachusetts

By Cindy Fitzgibbon, Sera Congi, Phil Tenser

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    NEEDHAM, Massachusetts (WCVB) — Drought conditions across Massachusetts are expanding and worsening, with conditions in part of the state now considered severe.

Because of the forecast for warm weather, dry conditions and gusty winds, the National Weather Service issued a red flag warning, which is in effect through 7 p.m. on Friday.

A Red Flag Warning means warm temperatures, very low humidities and stronger winds are expected to combine to produce an increased risk of fire danger.

According to the state Department of Fire Services, dozens of wildfires have burned statewide in recent days. Several of those burned in the North Shore area, which is now experiencing severe drought, including smoky fires that caused Salem to dismiss high schools early on Wednesday.

Thursday’s update from the U.S. Drought Monitor doubled the amount of the state under moderate or worse drought from 35% last week to 70%. Parts of the North Shore, Greater Boston and MetroWest are now also under a severe drought.

In Middleton, where a wildfire has scorched about 170 acres since Sunday morning, crews from the Department of Conservation and Recreation conducted a burnout on Thursday.

They set a controlled blaze outside the wildfire in order to remove fuel that would feed the fire on a march toward nearby neighborhoods.

“We’re actually using the fire to put the fire out,” DCR Deputy fire Chief Andrew Regan said. “We’re using the fire to remove the existing fuels. Once there’s no fuels, there’s no fire.”

The operation is being led by DCR fire program coordinator Alex Belote, who said they are creating a buffer between the fire and homes.

“If the fire were to move in this direction, it would have nothing left to burn and would stop,” Belote said.

The strategy also preserves water as Middleton has now been classified by the U.S. Drought Meter as being in a severe drought.

Residents may also benefit from the burnout method as it can limit the spread of smoke.

“It’s been a little unnerving,” Middleton resident Kelli Scanlan said. “I have asthma, unfortunately, so it definitely impacts that, you know, stinging eyes and things like that. So we’ve kept the windows all closed.”

Fire department officials have also urged the community to avoid open burning.

“The biggest thing right now is just no open burning,” Middleton fire Chief Douglas LeColst said. “I know it’s Halloween, and people like to have fires outside, but you just can’t have it.”

The higher temperatures have also caused a shift in how firefighters are fighting the fires. They have been monitoring their crews for heat-related issues and are also cutting back on how much they use local water resources, such as reservoirs, amid the ongoing drought.

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