Milford MA brush fire

A Boston man has been arrested after he allegedly started a brush fire that damaged town-owned land in Milford, Massachusetts, Saturday morning.

Milford police say the town's public safety communications center received calls around 8:48 a.m. reporting a brush fire in a wooded area of 296 West Street, and a man running away from the scene.

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Officers responded, and 28-year-old Devonte Johnson, of Dorchester, Massachusetts, was taken into custody following a short foot pursuit, police said.

Johnson was held on $1,500 bail and taken to the Worcester House of Corrections where he's awaiting arraignment on charges including burning land/tree/lumber/produce; setting fire on another's land; setting fire in open; disorderly conduct; and disturbing the peace. It wasn't immediately clear if he had obtained an attorney.

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Further information wasn't immediately available.

There were 196 brush fires reported in the state this October, more than 10 times as many as the monthly average, which is 15, according to the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services.

There has been an unprecedented spike in outdoor fires in Massachusetts this October, with 196 reported -- more than 10 times as many as the monthly average of 15, according to the state's Department of Fire Services.