Connecticut
Fire risk elevated across state as large brushfire burns in Connecticut
AMHERST — As crews continued to battle a brushfire in central Connecticut that contributed to the death of a firefighter Monday, the National Weather Service issued a notice Wednesday morning saying Massachusetts sat under “elevated fire weather concerns.”
Dry conditions has caused unease about potential brushfires across the region, from southern Vermont to northern Rhode Island, and authorities say they are taking proactive measures to mitigate risks and ensure public safety.
On Wednesday, Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont ordered U.S. and state flags there to be lowered to half-staff in honor of Robert Sharkevich Sr., a member of the Wethersfield Volunteer Fire Department who died after his utility vehicle rolled on top of him while he was driving on the traprock ridge known as Lamentation Mountain in Berlin, Connecticut. He was 66.