Even before the official start of fire season, the region is grappling with dry conditions that are fueling brush fires and prompting water conservation measures across Massachusetts.
A brush fire in Lowell Monday followed a series of similar incidents in the Northeast, including a 400-acre blaze in Long Island over the weekend and another in Somers, Connecticut, on Sunday.
“The start of the fire season in the spring is coming sooner now and the end of the fire season in the fall is coming later now,” said Vandana Rao, director of water policy at Massachusetts’ Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.
Rao attributes this extended fire season to climate change, noting that dry conditions began as early as August and have rapidly worsened since.
“We got an unprecedented number of fires in the months of September and October compared to other times,” Rao said.
Extremely dry weather has left firefighters battling wildfires in recent weeks.
Currently, most of Massachusetts is experiencing a level three, or critical, drought. The Cape Cod National Seashore is planning to conduct a prescribed burn at Fort Hill this week, which will mitigate potential brush fires in the spring.
Local officials are also working to raise awareness about the ongoing drought and the need for water conservation in their cities and towns.
The conditions prompted the town of Topsfield to reinstate an outdoor water ban that’s been in effect since August. Well levels have hit an all-time low for this time of year.
“These are going to be the strictest restrictions we’ve ever had to impose,” Topsfield Water Superintendent Greg Krom said. “I think (people) are going to be surprised. We had a rainy, snowy winter. I think they’re going to be surprised that we’re still in a drought.”
Despite all the snow we’ve seen in recent weeks, Massachusetts continues to deal with an ongoing drought.
As temperatures rise, officials are urging residents to conserve water as much as possible.
“You know, people have plans to have ChemLawn come out and water the grass before and after,” Krom said. “Sorry, better off canceling it for now.”
Rao echoed that sentiment, stressing the importance of indoor water conservation.
“Any small steps that individuals can take, businesses can take right now, mostly indoor use to tide us over, because we don’t know how long this drought will last,” Rao said. “We don’t know if it will get worse.”
Experts warn that it will take more than a few rain showers to alleviate the 12-inch precipitation deficit across much of the state. The drought is expected to persist for the next few months.
