Large Brush Fires Break Out North of Boston

(NECN: Josh Brogadir) - Firefighters in several Massachusetts towns have been dealing with numerous brush fires.

Dry and windy - the perfect recipe for brush fires.

This one in Winchester is still burning - maybe a quarter of a mile in from Hillcrest Parkway, but state officials say it is under control tonight.

Linda McElerney was driving in her car, saw smoke and thought it was coming from Boston.  

It was not Boston, but Winchester and Stoneham - a large brush fire in the Middlesex Fells Reservation that broke out about 1:30 in the afternoon.

It appears as a hazy cloud over the tree line.

Firefighters in the reservation on the Stoneham side doused water on the flames with hoses brought into the densely wooded area.

These views from above show the size of the fire - but in an area so large, people still going for hikes throughout the day.

Ambulances were at the ready, but there were no reports of any injuries.

Lieutenant Tim Coss of the Winchester Fire Department spoke of the challenge with the dry conditions.   

On the Winchester side, 5 acres burned in these woods.

One of the challenges, access to water, though the reservoir was not far away and firefighters pumped it out.

Even though lines of houses sit along the edge of the park, the fire did not get close to them.

But as darkness set in, the fire was not out yet.

Firefighters do not know how the fire started.

The smell was very strong throughout the surrounding towns.

The efforts to put it out will continue through the night.

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