City schools cancel outdoor activities as crews work to contain brush fires
Salem Public Schools on Tuesday canceled all outdoor activities as firefighters in the Merrimack Valley and on the North Shore work to contain several brush fires.A new brush fire near Traders Way is resulting in considerably more smoke in the area.”We have been monitoring air quality and have been advised to suspend outdoor activities as a result of the conditions. Until further notice, recess, physical education, outdoor learning and sports activities will be moved indoors,” the district posted on Facebook.Due to elevated smoke levels, Salem High School students were dismissed from school early.The fire is one of several creating unhealthy air conditions, according to the Environmental Protection Agency’s Air Quality Index Fire and Smoke Map.A fire that sparked Saturday evening in Salem near Spring Pond burned 130 acres, said Alan Dionne, chief of the Salem Fire Department.Air National Guard helicopters continued water drops to try to douse the fire, which has been burning in Salem and Lynn.Middleton fire crews are also working to contain a brush fire in the area between Upton Hills Lane and Middleton Pond. The Air National Guard was doing aerial water drops Monday, but that has come to an end.Info: Check Air Quality by ZIP code”We did it yesterday, and it didn’t work as well as we had hoped, so we decided to hold off on that today,” Middleton Fire Department Chief Douglas LeColst said. “One of the problems was the leaves. The water would drop and would hit the leaves, and the leaves would then fall to the ground, and that acted as a fuel.” Video: Why town stopped water dropsHomeowner Tina Wedge and her family recall being on high alert when the fire came dangerously close to their house, with firefighters staging in the driveway.”This is sort of crazy … you think like California … you would never think this here in Massachusetts,” Wedge said.There have been 18 active brush fires reported statewide in the past 24 hours, the state Department of Fire Services said in a statement Monday.Monday night, Sky 5 spotted two other fires — one in Saugus where intense flames burned in the Cedar Glenn Golf Course and another fire in Boxford, where flames burned in a circle outward until crews were able to extinguish it. The odor from the fire is traveling dozens of miles from the origin, with police alerting residents about the smell as far away as Needham.Weather conditions statewide place all Massachusetts communities at elevated risk of brush fires. State fire officials said dry leaves, dead vegetation, and other fuels are extremely receptive to ignition.”The dry, sunny, breezy weather is great for recreation, but it also means that any outdoor fire will spread quickly and become very difficult to manage,” State Fire Marshal Jon Davine said. “We’re seeing preventable fires growing to dangerous sizes and drawing numerous resources, locally and regionally.”Fire officials 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.The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Salem Public Schools on Tuesday canceled all outdoor activities as firefighters in the Merrimack Valley and on the North Shore work to contain several brush fires.
A new brush fire near Traders Way is resulting in considerably more smoke in the area.
“We have been monitoring air quality and have been advised to suspend outdoor activities as a result of the conditions. Until further notice, recess, physical education, outdoor learning and sports activities will be moved indoors,” the district posted on Facebook.
Due to elevated smoke levels, Salem High School students were dismissed from school early.
The fire is one of several creating unhealthy air conditions, according to the Environmental Protection Agency’s Air Quality Index Fire and Smoke Map.
A fire that sparked Saturday evening in Salem near Spring Pond burned 130 acres, said Alan Dionne, chief of the Salem Fire Department.
Air National Guard helicopters continued water drops to try to douse the fire, which has been burning in Salem and Lynn.
Middleton fire crews are also working to contain a brush fire in the area between Upton Hills Lane and Middleton Pond. The Air National Guard was doing aerial water drops Monday, but that has come to an end.
Info: Check Air Quality by ZIP code
“We did it yesterday, and it didn’t work as well as we had hoped, so we decided to hold off on that today,” Middleton Fire Department Chief Douglas LeColst said. “One of the problems was the leaves. The water would drop and would hit the leaves, and the leaves would then fall to the ground, and that acted as a fuel.”
Video: Why town stopped water drops
Homeowner Tina Wedge and her family recall being on high alert when the fire came dangerously close to their house, with firefighters staging in the driveway.
“This is sort of crazy … you think like California … you would never think this here in Massachusetts,” Wedge said.
There have been 18 active brush fires reported statewide in the past 24 hours, the state Department of Fire Services said in a statement Monday.
Monday night, Sky 5 spotted two other fires — one in Saugus where intense flames burned in the Cedar Glenn Golf Course and another fire in Boxford, where flames burned in a circle outward until crews were able to extinguish it.
The odor from the fire is traveling dozens of miles from the origin, with police alerting residents about the smell as far away as Needham.
Weather conditions statewide place all Massachusetts communities at elevated risk of brush fires. State fire officials said dry leaves, dead vegetation, and other fuels are extremely receptive to ignition.
“The dry, sunny, breezy weather is great for recreation, but it also means that any outdoor fire will spread quickly and become very difficult to manage,” State Fire Marshal Jon Davine said. “We’re seeing preventable fires growing to dangerous sizes and drawing numerous resources, locally and regionally.”
Fire officials 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.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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