10/28/2024
Warning: DFS, the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), , and the Fire Chiefs Association of Massachusetts are urging caution as high-risk fire weather persists. Just a spark or ember could cause a brush fire that quickly grows out of control and puts people and property in harm's way.
Based on the preliminary causes of recent fires, officials are asking residents to:
• Remember that open burning is prohibited statewide through January and in many communities year-round.
• Refrain from outdoor cooking and heating. Sparks and embers from chimineas, fire pits, and grills can easily ignite dry vegetation, debris, and overhanging branches.
• Use caution with lawnmowers, leaf blowers, all-terrain vehicles, and other power equipment. The engines can become hot enough to ignite dry leaves and grass.
• Dispose of ashes from fireplaces and wood stoves in a metal can, douse them with water, and cover them with a tight-fitting lid. These ashes can remain hot enough to ignite combustibles long after the fire goes out: never dump them outdoors or in the trash.
• Extinguish smoking materials in a sturdy ashtray with water or sand. Never toss cigarette butts, matches, or other smoking materials over the edge of a balcony, stub them out on stairs or railings, or toss them in dry vegetation or debris.
Read more: https://www.mass.gov/news/brush-fire-warning-state-local-leaders-urge-caution-amid-high-fire-risk
