Massachusetts County Braces for Unusually Challenging Wildfire Season

Worcester County, Mass.–Northboro Fire Chief David M. Durgin is among fire officials predicting an extremely challenging fire season this spring, one historically not seen in Worcester County.

“The weather factors could make this a campaign fire season,” Chief Durgin said. “We’ve already seen some explosive fires.”

A number of factors are lining up to create the hazardous conditions: Lower-than-average rainfall for the year, little-to-no snow cover this past winter, low humidity and higher-than-average amounts of fuel to feed fires.

Mountains of dead branches, cracked and split downed trees, detached limbs, dried leaves, and shrub and bush brush litter Central Massachusetts, not only from the ice storm in 2008, but also from the tornadoes and tropical storm last summer and the snowstorm in October. On top of that is the typical post-winter seasonal brush.

Fallen oaks and pines with leaves and needles still attached make for excellent “ladder” fuel, which spreads fire up to treetops – what firefighters call a crown fire, Chief Durgin said. His almost 40 years of firefighting experience includes stints with the state Department of Conservation and Recreation.

“I cut my teeth on forest fires,” Chief Durgin said. “These conditions are paralleling some of the conditions of when I first came on the job in the ’70s. We’re 6 inches below precipitation for the year already. No snowpack from winter. Right now you’ve got all the conditions to make the perfect fire season.”

Unseasonably warm weather forced an early green-up and trees are taking water out of the ground a few weeks earlier than normal.

“I can guarantee you we’re going to be restricting the burning season,” Chief Durgin said. And if the weather conditions continue, he added, “I’m just afraid we’re going to have to shut (open) burning off.”

Open burning was not allowed in Northboro on Tuesday and in most other towns throughout the state.

The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning Tuesday. Firefighters in New Hampshire and Rhode Island have also been keeping weather vigils.

“We’ve all been concerned,” said Douglas Fire Chief Kent F. Vinson. “We’re gearing up for a very difficult brush season.”

About 40 firefighters from three states battled a brush fire Monday afternoon in woods off Route 16 in Douglas. About six homes in the Eagle Drive area were endangered by the windblown fire. Chief Vinson said between five and 10 acres burned.

Chief Vinson and Shawn Bush walked the fire line Tuesday. Mr. Bush, the state fire warden in District 7 based out of the Douglas State Forest, oversees 30 towns in southern Worcester County. The district is responsible for detecting wildfires using fire towers in West Brookfield, Mendon, Oxford and Charlton. It also assists cities and towns of southern Worcester County with wildfire suppression.

Mr. Bush is one of two fire officials in the state who make recommendations to the National Weather Service on whether to advise a red flag warning. Warnings are issued based upon calculations of cumulative statistics and historical factors.

David Celino, chief fire warden for the state Department of Conservation and Recreation, is the other.

“Lack of rainfall, wind speed, temperature, humidity,” Mr. Bush said. “It’s based on trends.”

A red flag warning is one of the tools fire chiefs use to decide whether, for example, to allow open burning. Fire chiefs also rely on information from the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency and the state Department of Fire Services, he said.

When contemplating whether to issue warnings, meteorologists with the National Weather Service’s Taunton office combine Mr. Bush and Mr. Celino’s observations on ground conditions and trend calculations with their atmospheric and weather observations.

“They’re the eyes out there in the field,” said William A. Simpson, a meteorologist in the NWS Taunton office.

A few good days of significant rainfall could do something to change the scenario, but no significant rainfall is expected. Yesterday saw a sprinkling of rain and the forecast calls for a 20 percent chance of showers today.

“It depends how much falls. It’s so dry at the surface that everything that falls will evaporate,” said Mr. Simpson. “So there will be minimal impact.”