CANTON, Mass. — A large brush fire in Canton is finally contained after firefighters got help from the National Guard Tuesday.
The fire chief says in his nearly 40 years in the department he’s never dealt with a fire this big in Canton.
“I’d never seen a wildfire in person you know,” said Melanie Brooks, who lives near the Reservoir where the fire broke out Sunday.
Canton residents who live near the Reservoir were shocked to see flames so big, tearing through the woods Sunday night.
“As I was there the Canton Fire Department was also there monitoring from that spot because it was such a good vantage point, it was directly across the reservoir,” said Brooks.
Canton Fire Chief Wendell Robery says 32 acres have burned here since Sunday, but as of Tuesday, this fire is finally contained.
He says it was tough for his crews to reach the flames in the middle of the woods.
“There are some narrow paths in there that the trucks can fit through, but some of the areas it’s inaccessible,” said Chief Robery.
Chief Robery says it was a huge help Tuesday when the National Guard came in with helicopters, scooping up 650 gallons of water with each bucket to dump over the wildfire.
The Chief says the National Guard was originally tied up battling the brush fire in Salem, but he’s glad they made it here too.
“They go and dip and come over and the state will pinpoint where they want it and they’ll drop it right there,” said Chief Robery.
While the fire is mostly out, smoke still lingers in Canton, and the Chief says residents may still smell it over the next few days.
“When I did drop-off it was kinda, it was tough to breathe I don’t think the kids were allowed outside,” said Brooks.
The fire chief says his crews will be back out there Wednesday to check on any hot spots, but he hopes the worst of this fire is over.
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