Brush fire causes siding of home, nearby trash cans to melt in North Andover
NORTH ANDOVER - A brush fire in North Andover caused trash cans to melt near a home on Saturday.
Crews were working to keep the fire contained before it spread to the nearby home on Forest Street. The heat of the fire also melted the siding off of the house.
Brush fires across Massachusetts
Brush fires have been burning across Massachusetts for three weeks now as firefighters struggle to get a hold of the blazes due to wind and dry conditions.
There were several brush fires across the state on Saturday. One fire in Haverhill caused firefighters to work all afternoon to put out a fire in a wooded area in a neighborhood near the Merrimack River Park.
In another area, the Lynn woods remained partially closed after a fire jumped the fire line and started spreading toward Dungeon Rock. The fire grew in size overnight as firefighters worked to keep the flames away from homes on Pennybrook Road and Glen Avenue. On Sunday morning, the wind shifted to the northeast pushing the fire in the direction of the Gannon Golf Course.
The fire in the Lynn Woods has been pushed by winds up into dry trees and is burning deep into the ground - up to 1" to 2" in some spots.
"Rain is the only thing that will completely stop this underground burning," the Lynn Fire Department posted on Facebook.
This morning, the wind shifted to the northeast. This started pushing the fire in the direction of Gannon Golf Course which abuts the east side of Lynn Woods. Companies are continuing to work in that area today.
On Sunday, the Foxborough Fire Department said it was battling a blaze in F. Gilbert Hills State Forests, saying the effort "will be a multi-day event."
The state is currently battling a drought and is not expected to get any rain for another week. Residents in some areas have been asked to drastically reduce their water usage due to the dry conditions.
Preventing a brush fire in Waltham
Firefighters worked to prevent a house fire on Milner Street in Waltham from becoming a brush fire. Witnesses say that they heard a loud explosion around 3 p.m. on Saturday and that they were concerned due to the dry conditions right now.
"Of course, we were concerned for our neighbors first and foremost. We were hoping that nobody was home in the house that was on fire and our next-door neighbors are friends so they were, came right home from where they were at. My husband said there was some small fire behind the house, of our house. so that was pretty concerning," Mary Sullivan Low said.
Preventing brush fires
The state's Department of Fire Services is asking residents to avoid any activities that may spark a brush fire.
"The dry, sunny, breezy weather is great for recreation, but it also means that any outdoor fire will spread quickly and become very difficult to manage," said State Fire Marshal Jon M. Davine.
Fire officials ask that people avoid the following activities:
- Refrain from outdoor cooking and heating, including unattended campfires.
- Do not burn leaves. (Open burning is prohibited through January)
- Use caution with lawnmowers, leaf blowers and other power equipment because engines can get hot enough to ignite dry leaves.
- Use an ashtray or sand to extinguish smoking materials such as cigarettes.
- Dump ashes from fireplaces and wood stoves in a metal can, douse them with water, and cover them with a tight-fitting lid before disposing of them.
If you see flames or smoke in your area please call 911.
