North Shore schools close early as crews battle brush fires in Mass.
Some students were sent home early from school on Tuesday, and schools canceled outdoor activities as firefighters battled wildfires in Salem, Massachusetts, and other nearby communities.The Salem Fire Department has been battling a second brush fire since Saturday, which broke out in Salem Woods overnight.The terrain made it difficult for firefighters to access the fire, so National Guard helicopters were deployed to scoop up water from nearby Spring Pond and dump it on the flames, allowing firefighters to move in closer and attack the fire with their firehoses.”Right now, we’re just keeping our fingers crossed and hoping what we got knocked down tonight will stay down,” Salem fire Chief Alan Dionne said. “if it picks up tomorrow again, it could be a whole different day, depending on wind direction and so forth.Dionne said he is optimistic about the rain that is supposed to come Tuesday night, but it may not be enough to lower the fire risk, given the dry conditions.The smoke from the second brush fire was so intense that school officials in Salem decided to send students home early from Salem High School.”This morning, we learned there was another brush fire nearby, and we could obviously smell the smoke, and it was more intense than it had been yesterday,” said Steve Zrike, Superintendent of Salem Public Schools.”On the advisement of city officials and the fire officials in town, they suggested we early dismiss the high school.”Students were also transferred from the nearby Horace Mann Laboratory School to the Witchcraft Heights Elementary School so that parents could pick them up.”The fire was kind of next to us because it was behind the high school and library,” Aaryell Castillo, a student at Horace Mann, said. “But then they said we had to evacuate because some kids have asthma.”The superintendent called these moves “precautionary,” and the school district also canceled all outdoor activities. The school district said they are hoping they will not have to cancel anything again on Wednesday, but that all depends on the wind and the smoke.The smoky new fire in the Salem Woods near Traders Way is one of several creating unhealthy air conditions in the region, according to the Environmental Protection Agency’s Air Quality Index Fire and Smoke Map. An Air National Guard helicopter was seen dropping water on the fire Tuesday.The new fire is among at least 47 other active fires reported across the state on Monday afternoon. One fire sparked Saturday evening in Salem near Spring Pond burned 130 acres, said Alan Dionne, chief of the Salem Fire Department. Middleton fire crews also worked to contain a brush fire in the area between Upton Hills Lane and Middleton Pond. The Air National Guard was making aerial water drops on that fire Monday.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.On Monday night, Sky 5 spotted two other fires: one in Saugus, where intense flames burned in the Cedar Glenn Golf Course, and another in Boxford, where flames burned in a circle outward until crews were able to extinguish them. 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.
Some students were sent home early from school on Tuesday, and schools canceled outdoor activities as firefighters battled wildfires in Salem, Massachusetts, and other nearby communities.
The Salem Fire Department has been battling a second brush fire since Saturday, which broke out in Salem Woods overnight.
The terrain made it difficult for firefighters to access the fire, so National Guard helicopters were deployed to scoop up water from nearby Spring Pond and dump it on the flames, allowing firefighters to move in closer and attack the fire with their firehoses.
“Right now, we’re just keeping our fingers crossed and hoping what we got knocked down tonight will stay down,” Salem fire Chief Alan Dionne said. “if it picks up tomorrow again, it could be a whole different day, depending on wind direction and so forth.
Dionne said he is optimistic about the rain that is supposed to come Tuesday night, but it may not be enough to lower the fire risk, given the dry conditions.
The smoke from the second brush fire was so intense that school officials in Salem decided to send students home early from Salem High School.
“This morning, we learned there was another brush fire nearby, and we could obviously smell the smoke, and it was more intense than it had been yesterday,” said Steve Zrike, Superintendent of Salem Public Schools.
“On the advisement of city officials and the fire officials in town, they suggested we early dismiss the high school.”
Students were also transferred from the nearby Horace Mann Laboratory School to the Witchcraft Heights Elementary School so that parents could pick them up.
“The fire was kind of next to us because it was behind the high school and library,” Aaryell Castillo, a student at Horace Mann, said. “But then they said we had to evacuate because some kids have asthma.”
The superintendent called these moves “precautionary,” and the school district also canceled all outdoor activities.
The school district said they are hoping they will not have to cancel anything again on Wednesday, but that all depends on the wind and the smoke.
The smoky new fire in the Salem Woods near Traders Way is one of several creating unhealthy air conditions in the region, according to the Environmental Protection Agency’s Air Quality Index Fire and Smoke Map. An Air National Guard helicopter was seen dropping water on the fire Tuesday.
The new fire is among at least 47 other active fires reported across the state on Monday afternoon.
One fire sparked Saturday evening in Salem near Spring Pond burned 130 acres, said Alan Dionne, chief of the Salem Fire Department.
Middleton fire crews also worked to contain a brush fire in the area between Upton Hills Lane and Middleton Pond. The Air National Guard was making aerial water drops on that fire Monday.
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.
On Monday night, Sky 5 spotted two other fires: one in Saugus, where intense flames burned in the Cedar Glenn Golf Course, and another in Boxford, where flames burned in a circle outward until crews were able to extinguish them.
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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