BOSTON (AP) – Firefighters in Massachusetts in the United States (US) continued to battle stubborn brush fires across the state with officials urging residents to take precautions to help avoid sparking new blazes.
Hundreds of hectares in the greater Boston area have already burned in the past week with new fires cropping up in the western and central parts of the state.
In Massachusetts, an average of 15 wildland fires are reported each October. This year, the month’s total capped at about 200 – an increase of about 1,200 per cent over the average, rivalling the monthly numbers usually seen in the traditional early spring brush fire season.
About 100 fire were reported over the last seven days of the month and preliminary information indicates that all of them started with human activity, according to fire officials.
The fires prompted some communities last week to cancel school classes and festive activities. On Friday, the National Weather Service declared a “red flag” warning for much of eastern Massachusetts. The warning means that the region, which has been experiencing dry and warm weather, is at high risk of fire.
Fire officials have reminded residents that open burning is prohibited statewide through January and in many communities year-round.
They also urged residents to avoid outdoor cooking and heating and to use caution when using power equipment like lawnmowers and leaf blowers.
The engines can become hot enough to ignite dry leaves and grass.
Fire officials also cautioned against tossing cigarette butts, matches, or other smoking materials over the edge of a balcony, stub them out on stairs or railings, or toss them in dry vegetation or debris.
On Saturday, a Boston man was arrested in connection to a brush fire in Milford, about 64 kilometres west of Boston.
