Massachusetts Governor Urges Safety Amid ‘Unprecedented’ Fire Season

On Monday, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey joined Massachusetts fire service leaders in asking residents to refrain from outdoor activity that could cause or contribute to the state’s recent rash of brush and wildland fires.

“As we confront an unprecedented fall fire season, I’m asking all our residents to protect themselves, their neighbors, and their communities by refraining from any outdoor activities that involve open flames, sparks and embers, or other heat sources,” Governor Healey said in a press release. “I especially want to thank the firefighters who have been battling these fires, very often for days at a time and across the state from their homes and families. We have seen truly remarkable efforts from our fire service. Let’s support them by using caution and common sense out there.”

The Associated Press reported on Sunday that hundreds of acres in the greater Boston area had burned in the past week, with new fires cropping up in the western and central parts of the state. Massachusetts averages 15 reported wildland fires each October; that number ballooned to about 200 last month. The AP reported that approximately 100 fires were reported over the last seven days of the month, and preliminary information indicated that all of them began with human activity, according to fire officials.

Per Healey’s press release, the state’s Department of Fire Services has been supporting local and regional firefighters with incident support units that provide mobile communications, conferencing, and mapping capabilities, as well as rehab units that support firefighter health and safety and drones and utility terrain vehicles. Local coordinators from the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency are in contact with public safety officials experiencing large wildfires and are prepared to support needs as they arise.

The Massachusetts Air National Guard has repeatedly mobilized helicopters to conduct water drop operations. The Department of Conservation & Recreation’s Bureau of Forest Fire Control and Forestry is assisting local fire departments with monitoring all active incidents, DCR fire towers are on full alert, and a temporary ban has been implemented on all open flame and charcoal fires at Massachusetts state parks.

Even with coordinated personnel, apparatus, and state agencies lending assistance, however, battling brush and wildland fires is labor-intensive, time-consuming, resource-heavy work. Dead and compromised trees, off-road apparatus, and drought-induced fire behavior all present additional hazards to the firefighters at these scenes. Citing that ongoing danger to firefighters and residents, the Fire Chiefs Association of Massachusetts recommended on Sunday that all local fire chiefs deny any fire-related permit requests and collaborate with local officials to prohibit any recreational fire activity. Fire Chiefs have the authority to prohibit the use of open flames and other ignition sources in hazardous conditions under Section 10.10.2 of the Massachusetts Comprehensive Fire Safety Code.

“Given the current and expected weather conditions, the Fire Chiefs Association of Massachusetts’ Board of Directors strongly recommends that all our members temporarily deny all fire permit requests and work with municipal officials to impose outdoor fire bans in every city and town in Massachusetts at least through Friday, Nov. 8, 2024,” wrote Foxborough Fire Chief Michel Kelleher, president of the Fire Chiefs Association of Massachusetts. “The number and nature of these incidents pose a grave risk to our personnel and the communities we serve. Beyond the direct hazard posed by an out-of-control wildland fire, every firefighter battling a preventable outdoor fire is a firefighter who cannot respond to an unrelated structure fire, motor vehicle crash, medical call, or other emergency.”

With no precipitation, winds of 5-10 mph, fresh leaf litter, and direct sunlight on surface fuels, the outdoor fire risk remained “very high” on Monday, the release said.

Forty-five percent of Massachusetts homes reside in or near wooded areas.