North Shore Faces Escalating Wild Brush Blazes, Raising Fire Danger to High Alert

As citizens are cautioned to be careful with any outdoor flames, fires continue to spread in the Lynn Woods and Breakheart Reservation in Saugus. On Monday, Lynn fire crews collaborated with the Department of Conservation and Recreation, as well as a State Police helicopter, to carry out water drops on the Lynn Woods fire, according to the National Weather Service.

The North Shore experiences an increase in brushfires due to a series of warm, extremely dry, and windy days. This situation has prompted a cautionary message to nearly all residents of Massachusetts, emphasizing the utmost care when dealing with any form of outdoor flames.

While firefighting crews are actively engaged in combating the spreading wildfire at the Breakheart Reservation in Saugus, which had already suffered considerable damage during last year's drought, residents of the North Shore still witness smoke emanating from the ongoing Lynn Woods fire. As a result, the entire state, with the exception of Cape Cod and the Islands, remains under a "red flag" warning for Tuesday, which is expected to be prolonged until the end of the week.

In the Tuesday morning announcement, the National Weather Service issued a cautionary advisory, urging residents to exercise extreme caution when handling any outdoor ignition sources, including matches and cigarettes.

On Monday, Lynn fire crews collaborated with the Department of Conservation and Recreation along with a State Police helicopter to carry out water drops on the Lynn Woods fire. In response to the fire's proximity to nearby homes, all trails in the northern section of Lynn Woods were closed until further notice over the weekend.

On Tuesday, officials from the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) advised against outdoor burning in state parks due to the National Weather Service (NWS) forecast. The NWS predicted southwest winds with gusts of up to 35 mph on Tuesday, followed by northwest winds gusting to 35 mph after an early Wednesday cold front. Additionally, relative humidity is expected to range between 15 and 25 percent on both days.

According to the National Weather Service (NWS), the period of greatest fire risk occurs from late morning until sundown each day.

These warnings may mark the onset of another hazardous summer season, following the dry and hot conditions of the previous year. Last year's conditions contributed to the outbreak of 38 fires, engulfing 188 acres across the state in a span of seven days during August. Notably, the Lynn Woods and Breakheart Reservation accounted for 86 acres of the total burned area.

In late August, the state's Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) implemented a prohibition on all outdoor fires in state parks, marking the first time since 2016. However, small, portable grills were granted an exception to this ban.