About 40% of Massachusetts homes are in Wildland-Urban Interface or Intermix zones, so #WildlandFires can threaten homes just as house fires can spread to wildlands. determine if problems are getting better or worse. Correspondent Jeremy C. Fox contributed reporting. The Department of Conservation and Recreation also announced Tuesday in a press release that effective immediately and until further notice, a temporary ban on all open flame and charcoal fires has been put in place across the Massachusetts State Park System in an effort to prevent wildfires. Settings - change map background and toggle additional layers. Shortly before 5:50 p.m., the Medford Firefighters Local 1032 union tweeted that the fire department and mutual aid companies were battling a four-alarm fire near the intersection of Allston and Prescott streets. . M-BIRS is a tool for law enforcement. Residents of an apartment building in Winthrop survived a fire that struck four alarms, sending mutual aid from surrounding communities to battle the blaze. Hearst Television participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. As fires continue to burn in Massachusetts, an uptick in smoke is leading officials to issue warnings to the public. MEDFORD, Mass. If you need assistance, please contact the Department of Fire Services. }Customer Service. . A lock icon ( Active US wildfires by affected area (in square miles) <10. Hot and humid conditions will continue through the weekend. Although paperwork may seem to have little to do with fire protection, it is important. Celino says crews implemented a mop up grid to better get a perimeter around it. Just use it for basic needs., Stay up to date on all the latest news from Boston.com. "It positively affects ignition potential. A recent series of wildfires near Man Uses Bear Spray on Pedestrians in Bizarre Road Rage Incident: Police, Our Teams Deserve Better': Violence at Mass. NORTHAMPTON, Mass. August 21, 2022. In-depth news coverage of the Greater Boston Area. U.S. Drought Monitor. We just dont want wells drying up or having other issues where they cant access the water they need for their daily use, Rao said. 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Power equipment and vehicles, MEMA officials warned, can get very hot and cause dry grass to catch fire. Due to ongoing drought conditions, firefighting efforts have been challenging. To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com. Drought conditions are so bad that these wildfires are actually burning underground, which Celino said makes them a "challenging extended operation" for fire crews. As of Friday, Celino says that fire is 100% contained. DCR and its partner agencies continue to urge everyone to use caution and common sense when utilizing any open flame or power equipment that can cause sparks or reach high temperatures outdoors. August 7, 2022. Health Care Facilities Has Increased in Recent Years, Defense Lawyers Claim Bombshell' New Evidence in BPD Officer's Death in Canton, Defense Team's Claim in Case of Officer's Death Stirs Controversy in Canton, Pupdate on the Adorable Dog That Fell Asleep on Our Broadcast. Wildfires in Lynn, Sherborn, The MMEA is reporting that its rescue vessel Petir 12 pulled two crewmembers from the water and a third crewmember was rescued by another vessel. Rao said its good to see that supplies are for the most part holding up and extensive outdoor watering restrictions are being put in place by many water suppliers. The heat and dryness have led to more wildfires this season 159 in July alone, according to the Department of Conservation and Recreation. WebThe wildland fires within Breakheart Reservation were ignited on Wednesday, August 17, 2022, as five individual fires. A heat advisory remains in effect until 8pm Friday. NO WORD ON ANY INJURIE. It is also a powerful injury prevention tool for health educators and policy makers. Furthermore, the public is advised that the park will remain closed through Wednesday, August 24, 2022, due to ongoing fire operations, and in consideration of public safety and the safety of the first responders managing the incident. The dozen wildfires currently burning, Celino said, span anywhere from an acre to 75 acres here at Breakheart or 86 acres over in Lynn Woods Reservation. 100. (The rain) positively impacts ignition potential. The wildfires in Canada were also significant. Please do not include personal or contact information. If you would like to continue helping us improve Mass.gov, join our user panel to test new features for the site. Residents of an apartment building in Winthrop survived a fire that struck four alarms, sending mutual aid from surrounding communities to battle the blaze. However, Gaucher said, the smoke could return later in the week depending on wind patterns. The task forces are drawn from multiple cities and towns in fire districts outside the emergency area. Fire Data Unit Fax & M-BIRS Reporting Fax. Top-requested sites to log in to services provided by the state. On Wednesday Saugus Fire Chief Thomas D'Eon would only see there was an "active investigation" into the cause. Celino cited additional fires during the briefing, including a wildfire at Briarwood in Rockport that he said is 100 percent contained at 19 acres. People in sensitive groups, the DEP site says, should reduce prolonged or heavy outdoor exertion; take more breaks and keep quick relief medicine handy. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure youre on a federal government site. Please let us know how we can improve this page. Josh Landes. Herald reporter Rick Sobey contributed to this report. MBIRS data is used to produce an annual report on the causes of burns that can identify trends and patterns. Climate change sparks disaster fears. 2023, Hearst Television Inc. on behalf of WCVB-TV. According to the BC Wildfire Service Multi-alarm fire breaks out in Medford, Massachusetts, neighborhood, MEDFORD. What I would say to folks is, whoever ordered the rain, fantastic right? Celino said. Use only what is needed. Governor Charlie Baker last week had called in the National Guard to help battle the Rockport blaze. Parts of the state were in a heat emergency on Thursday and Friday, with heat indexes of over 100 degrees. The drought is causing problems for fire crews, who are responding to wildfires across the state. Lastly, effective immediately and until further notice, a temporary ban on all open flame and charcoal fires has been put in place across the Massachusetts State Park System in an effort to prevent wildfires, which have been sprouting up throughout the Commonwealth due to drought conditions. Massachusetts is no stranger to wildland fires. Ongoing #Drought conditions are raising the fire risk across the state. Travis Andersen can be reached at travis.andersen@globe.com. Smoke from these fires is being captured in the jet stream and mixing down to the surface here in New England, the division said via Facebook. Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Massachusetts Burn Injury Reporting Form (FP 84F), Fire Standard Compliant (FSC) Cigarette Program. Fire departments and MFIRS Approved Vendors as of July 2020 can contactthe Fire Data Unit at 978-567-3382for information on: Fires or explosions that harm people or damage property must be reported to the Division of Fire Safety. Medford firefighters responded to a multi-alarm fire that broke out in a neighborhood in the Massachusetts city on Sunday. Looking to the fall, risks for wildfires could remain elevated if the drought conditions linger. 05:37Play. Colorado has seen four of its top five largest wildfires in the last three years, in 2018 and 2020 during the record-breaking wildfire season nationwide. Seven new large fires were reported Sunday, bringing the total number of wildfires raging in the United States to 91, according to the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC). DFS encourages fire departments to report all incidents. DCR, Saugus FD, and partner organizations will also continue to work to contain the fires using ground methods, such as handline construction with hand tools and digging out suppressing deep burning hot spots. If you need assistance, please contact the Department of Fire Services. A rainy Monday helped a bit, but most of Massachusetts has received significantly less precipitation than usual in the past few months, exacerbating the drought that's stifling almost all of the state. A legal dispute in Montana could drastically curb the governments use of aerial fire retardant to combat wildfires. THIS IS VIDEO FROM THE SCENE. MEDFORD, MA Firefighters were battling a four-alarm fire Sunday evening in Medford. She previously worked as the news editor for the Daily Item. . Medford firefighters responded to a multi-alarm fire that broke out in a neighborhood in the Massachusetts city on Sunday. Fire officials said smoke detectors could have saved their lives. Traditional tactics dont work, we find. Right now the goal is to contain the fires to prevent them from threatening property or public safety, but it is very difficult to entirely extinguish them. Weve definitely seen an uptick in fire activity, said DCR Chief Fire Warden Dave Celino. According to DCR, so far in 2023, there have been 240 wildfires in Massachusetts over almost 250 acres. The most common cause is campfires. It is not out, Celino said. The Hubbardston Fire Department confirmed this as well tweeting, We have responded to numerous reports of smoke in the area. Web#Mulch is combustible and causes many fires each year. Massachusetts is no stranger to wildland fires. Medford firefighters responded to a multi-alarm fire that broke out in a neighborhood in the Massachusetts city on Sunday.Shortly before 5:50 p.m., the Medford Firefighters Local 1032 union tweeted that the fire department and mutual aid companies were battling a four-alarm fire near the intersection of Allston and Prescott streets.Video and photos shared with NewsCenter 5 show large flames and heavy smoke in a residential area.The firefighters' union did not state whether anyone has been injured by the fire.First responders are asking people to avoid the area while they work to extinguish the flames. Flames are visible from the Beluga Point parking area near Anchorage, Alaska, on July 19, 2016, as a wildfire near McHugh Creek burns. Follow Boston.com on Instagram (Opens in a New Tab), Follow Boston.com on Twitter (Opens in a New Tab), Like Boston.com on Facebook (Opens in a New Tab), EPA: Machine gun range could harm Cape Cod drinking water. The Fire Department has been getting calls about smoke in the area from different parts of Holden, the department tweeted. Its going to be a few months for sure.. North Adams Fire Chief Brent LeFevbre said the 1,500-to-2,000 foot fire line is an estimated half mile from the intersection of Wood Street and Massachusetts Avenue. The fire sits off of Route 1 and is roughly 35 acres but is anticipated to grow, according to Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation Chief Fire Warden Dave Celino. WebMassachusetts Fire Incident Reporting System (MFIRS) Statistics Fires or explosions that harm people or damage property must be reported to the Division of Fire Safety. It will take some time, says Rao. Health care providers must report burns that cover 5% or more of a person's body surface. More. The site is secure. First responders are asking people to avoid the area while they work to extinguish the flames. It is also a powerful injury prevention tool for health educators and policy makers. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. The recent string of hot temperatures and dry conditions have provided multiple fuels for wildland fires to burn in Massachusetts. The situation is obviously not looking great and the impacts, especially on certain sectors, are being seen a lot more, said Vandana Rao, a task force co-chair representing the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. Please limit your input to 500 characters. At one point, he says the fire threatened 35 structures downstream and the fire almost came out of containment. We all need to be practical and protective of water supply resources. Brush Fires Send Smoke Traveling Across Parts of State, Breakheart Reservation in Saugus Closes Through Sunday Amid Brush Fires, Our Teams Deserve Better': Violence at Mass. "This is probably the one drought year when weve had the most fire activity that weve seen, Celino said, noting that there have been significant droughts in other recent years - 2016, 2018 and 2020. There is a haze and smell of smoke all throughout Central MA, Worcester fire officials tweeted. Thats the strategy, he said. 250. Environmentalists have sued the U.S. Forest #MAWX #RIWX #CTWX pic.twitter.com/QcXN5Bojlt. The Massachusetts Burn Injury Reporting System (MBIRS) helps to identify arsonists and prevent burns. They are valuable assets for large or long-term incidents, bringing many resources to bear without depleting any city or town of its own resources.