NORTH READING, Mass. — A brush fire that started burning in the town of Middleton on Sunday morning has spread to the nearby town of North Reading, officials announced Monday.
“We are aware of a heavy smoke condition in town. The brush fire in Middleton has now apparently burned into North Reading in the area of Swan Pond,” North Reading Firefighters Local 1857 said in a Facebook post.
Middleton Fire Chief Douglas LeColst said Sunday that about 50 acres had burned in the area of the power lines by Upton Hills Road and the Middleton Reservoir.
“With the extremely dry weather conditions we have experienced lately, wooded areas are a tinder box waiting for a spark,” North Reading firefighters warned.
The Middleton Fire Department said the effort to extinguish flames in the area will likely be a multi-day event.
A major challenge for firefighters has been the limited resources with so many other brush fires happening at the same time across the state, according to LeColst.
Also on Monday morning, Saugus Firefighters Local 1003 shared an image of fast-moving flames scorching dry brush at Breakhart Reservation, a popular hiking, biking, and walking trail.
Firefighters said all companies were responding to the forest and that mutual aid was covering the town of Saugus.
A massive ground-level brushfire was also burning in a wooded area near Spring Pond along the Salem-Lynn line.
The underbrush is so dry in communities across the area because much of the state is suffering a severe deficit of rain.
“There is a lot of fuel on the ground,” Salem Fire Chief Alan Dionne said. “The trees, the branches -- all that type of stuff.”
Brush fires fueled by dry and windy conditions are burning in dozens of communities, causing hazy and smoky conditions.
Anyone who sees smoke or an active fire in a wooded area is urged to call 911.
“Early detection and extinguishment of brush fires is critical to preventing their rapid spread,” North Reading firefighters stressed.
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