But last week, the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation reported 41 fires in the state. The most recent was a 16-acre fire on Sunday afternoon at the Blue Hills Reservation in Milton. Fire at Blue Hills Reservation. (Photo: Parker Harrington) “While I was out at Milton, trucks were flying everywhere,” said Diane Agostino, a Milton resident. “When I got out of the car, the smoke was very heavy and I had to put on my N95.” In the last week of April, there were fires in Saugus, Rockport, Andover, Ipswich and others. “Our humidity and fuel have dried up so much in the last few days that even a cigarette butt flew out of a car window or an unattended fire; it does not take much to get this ignition,” said his fire chief. DCR said Dave Celino. Celino said the recent dry weather has allowed the current dry forest to serve as fuel for the flames. “All of this is available for combustion and what adds to it is the weather,” Celino said. He went on to point out that 98 percent of fires in Massachusetts are man-made. The other two percent start naturally, like lightning. Rain is expected in the first week of May, which is welcome news for firefighters across the state. Celino, meanwhile, is urging people to stay alert. “We ask the public to also have their head on a rotating shaft and have this extra awareness, especially if they use incendiary devices.”
