SALEM, Mass. — As Salem Police prepare for the busiest night of the year, they are also assisting firefighters in tackling brush fires that have blanketed the city in smoke.
Just a couple miles away from Halloween festivities in Witch City, wildfires that consumed more than 170 acres were nearly extinguished by Tuesday night.
Salem officers helped secure the scene, closed down streets, provided traffic control, and assisted firefighters in their efforts.
“We have a drone that has a heat signal camera, and that’s been useful in discovering hotspots and looking for people out in the area of the brushfire and keeping them away,” said Salem Police Chief Lucas Miller. “We’ve had to use officers to just keep onlookers away from the areas of the brushfires for their own safety.”
While it’s all hands on deck for Salem police with more than one million visitors expected on Halloween night, assistance the department annually receives from other law enforcement agencies for the holiday will help minimize the strain of managing both the fires and festivities.
“In order to be prepared, we will be out in force,” Miller said. “We will have many, many police officers out, just to make sure that everybody’s having a good time in a responsible way.”
Miller also urges residents and visitors to be cautious in the extremely dry conditions.
“I would encourage everyone to be vigilant about cigarettes and matches and anything else that can cause a flame,” Miller said.
The city has urged visitors to take public transportation not only to cut down on traffic and congestion but also to keep what is expected to be a record number of pedestrians safe.
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