The Breakheart Reservation in Saugus, Massachusetts, is now closed indefinitely, as wildfires continue to burn amid persistent drought conditions.
Breakheart was completely shut down last Wednesday due to the wildfires. The closure was extended on Sunday as the fires continued, before the state's Department of Conservation and Recreation announced Wednesday that the closure is now until further notice.
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DCR staff will remain at the site, to let people know about the closure, according to a news release from the agency.
Investigators said last week it might not be just the dry weather alone to blame for all the fires.
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"We can say that these fires are suspicious," said David Celino, chief fire warden for the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation. "There was no lightning in the area."
With the lack of rainfall, high temperatures, and dry ground it’s been a tough brush fire season in Massachusetts.
“98% of all of our wildfires here in Massachusetts are human-caused,” Celino said.
Drought conditions have been impacting regions across Massachusetts this summer, with most of the state receiving much less rain than normal over the past few months. More than 100 wildfires have burned in the state so far just this month, and officials said Tuesday that number is likely to climb as dry conditions persist. Celino said the recent rain only was of little help.
"It positively affects ignition potential. What it doesn't affect is ground fuel burning that's ongoing," he said.
Drought conditions are so bad that these wildfires are actually burning underground, which Celino said makes them a "challenging extended operation" for fire crews. Right now the goal is to contain the fires to prevent them from threatening property or public safety, but it is very difficult to entirely extinguish them. Contained fires will still give off smoke and can burn very hot in the center, Celino said.
"This is probably the one drought year when we’ve had the most fire activity that we’ve seen,” Celino said, noting that there have been significant droughts in other recent years - 2016, 2018 and 2020.
To help manage the danger, officials are asking the public to take "common-sense" measures, including to carefully extinguish any open flames and dispose of any hot charcoal or smoking materials. Power equipment and vehicles, MEMA officials warned, can get very hot and cause dry grass to catch fire.
Residents are also asked to pay attention to water bans in their town or city
