Nearly all of Massachusetts is in a critical drought, with the dry weather fueling wildfires.
With dry conditions set to persist in Massachusetts on Tuesday, fire crews are battling stubborn brush fires that continue to crop up around the state.
One of those fires is at the Blue Hills Reservation in Milton, where two task forces are expected to be deployed to Tuesday. The brush fire has already consumed 41 acres. At last check, 50% of it was considered contained, but the fight was far from over for first responders.
Firefighters were first alerted to smoke in the area at around 12:30 p.m. Monday. Officials said that when crews first arrived, the fire was only five acres, but the wind caused it to spread quickly.
At least five different agencies were called to assist, as crews attempted prescribed burning techniques to slow down the flames.
An investigation has been launched to learn how the fire was initially sparked.
Brush fires have been burning across the region for weeks, amid dry and breezy conditions. Much needed rainfall has been forecast for later this week.
Local
In the Boxford State Forest, crews have been battling a fire that has spread to around 200 acres. A haze was seen over Interstate 95 Tuesday morning.
There was a brush fire Monday night near the UMass Amherst campus, which local crews were at the scene of for hours.
Six new wildfires have started in Massachusetts within the past 24 hours. The entire Bay State is under red flag conditions once again on Tuesday.
In Rhode Island, a massive brush fire broke out in Cranston near I-295 on Monday night.
And in Brentwood, New Hampshire, crews from numerous area fire departments battled a large brush fire off Route 111A near the Exeter line.
