MIDDLETON, Mass. — In Middleton, National Guard Black Hawk Helicopters lead the fight in the Upton Hill area.
Over and over Boston 25 saw choppers dumping water collected from nearby ponds, directly onto a stubborn and at times growing brush fire.
“The National Guard just started doing some air drops to help hit the hotspots and knock down the flames,” Middleton Fire Chief Douglas LeColst.
With homes nearby, this is a desperate attempt to keep the fire from spreading any further
“That fire is now at 233 acres. It has not damaged or directly threatened any residence at this time. But it tells you it has a lot of room to move out there,” said Dave Celino, the Chief Fire Warden for the MA Department of Conservation and Recreation.
People could see those flames driving along Lake Street.
“You could smell it all day long, it was very thick cloud of smoke throughout the whole area,” said Jim Wedge.
Wedge says the wildfire got a little too close to his property on Lake Street Sunday night to the point where fire crews came to warn him.
“I didn’t even notice it and he’s like, oh the fire’s right there, and I looked and the whole place was ablaze back there, so yeah it was a little bit crazy,” said Wedge. “I mean it was high, it went up and it kind of spanned this whole back side of this of my yard here, over that hill there, but I mean it lit up the sky.”
He says the fire department would notify them if they had to evacuate.
In nearby Salem, it has been exhausting work.
Fire crews, armed with hoses and axes, cut their way into the woods, doing whatever they can to contain the brush fires
“It’s just grunt work. The guys have to get in there, hike it in, lay out the line, and extinguish the fire. These fires customarily can’t be put out with brooms or anything, we have to put water on them, that’s what we are trying to do today, said Salem Fire Chief Alan Dionne.
Salem and Middleton are just two communities of dozens in Massachusetts and across Southern New England, trying to keep brush fires at bay.
“They are all human-caused fires. The common denominator are campfires,” said DCR Fire Warden Celino.
Authorities say, until we get some rain, if you are going in or near the woods be extremely careful with any fire source.
Even the smallest spark and cause major problems.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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