Massachusetts

Suspicious Brush Fires Under Investigation at Breakheart Reservation in Saugus

Breakheart Reservation in Saugus was closed Wednesday afternoon due to an active wildfire, the Massachusetts Department of Conversation and Recreation said

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It’s another busy week for firefighters dealing with brush fires in Massachusetts. There are five separate fires spreading in the Breakheart Reservation, and three or four more are burning in the nearby Lynn Woods.

Breakheart was shut down completely Wednesday afternoon and visitors were turned away at the front entrance. Intermittent closures of the reservation are expected for the rest of the week due to dry conditions and potential fire danger.

The smoky atmosphere can be seen all around the burning hills.

Investigators say it might not be just the dry weather alone to blame for all the fires.

“We can say that these fires are suspicious,” said David Celino, chief fire warden for the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation. “There was no lightning in the area.”

The investigation into what started the fires is ongoing.

With the lack of rainfall, high temperatures, and dry ground it’s been a tough brush fire season in Massachusetts.

“98% of all of our wildfires here in Massachusetts are human-caused,” said Celino, who added it’ll likely take several days to get the situation in Saugus and Lynn under control.

Hot and dry summer weather has led to brush fires across New England.

“We don’t actually call a fire 100% contained until we’re confident that we have secure perimeters where that fire can’t escape,” he said.

It appears about 30 to 40 acres this week are lost in Saugus and in Lynn because of the fires.

So far there’s been 816 brush fires in Massachusetts this year.

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