'Suspicious' Lynn Woods fires sending smoke into neighboring towns
LYNN - "Suspicious" fires burning in the Lynn Woods are sending smoke into surrounding cities and towns.
The city of Salem let residents know Friday that they may have noticed smoke or odors because of the Lynn Woods brush fires. The Lynn Fire Department said low-lying smoke was blowing in the direction of Peabody and Salem overnight, and in the morning the winds shifted to send smoke toward West Lynn and Nahant.
"While we know the smoke is a nuisance and these fires are burning deep underground, it poses NO THREAT to any structures bordering the woods at this time," the department said.
Lynn Fire Chief Stephen Archer told WBZ-TV that the cause of the fire is being investigated with the help of the State Fire Marshal's office.
"No official determination has been made at this point, but due to the multiple unconnected areas of burn, investigators are considering it suspicious right now," Archer said.
As of Thursday night, there were five fires in the Lynn Woods totaling 26 acres. The fire department also thanked forestry department workers who have been helping with the fires, and an anonymous donor who left water and ice at the woods entrance.
In nearby Saugus, Breakheart Reservation was closed again for the rest of Friday because of multiple fires there. The Department of Conservation and Recreation said the closure was "due to ongoing wildfires causing heavy smoke and active fires along the paved path."
Both Saugus and Lynn are in areas of extreme drought affecting Massachusetts.