Fire officials are warning of wildfires due to dry, windy conditions

LONGMEADOW, MA (WGGB/WSHM) – A warning has come along with our warm, dry weather as wildfires have popped up in our area in recent days.

“The areas have been hit pretty hard by wildfires,” said East Longmeadow Fire Chief Christopher Beecher.

The sun comes with smoke. Three towns in western Massachusetts have been ravaged by wildfires in recent days. East Longmeadow officials want residents to be vigilant after dealing with this.

“We had a small brush fire in the backyard of a residential area,” Beecher added.

The Hampden firefighter faced the same thing and East Longmeadow crews lent a helpful hand to the crews down there. Just a town away, Longmeadow had their scene to deal with.

“Yesterday afternoon we had a small brush fire in Turner Park, off Williams Street,” Longmeadow Fire Chief Mike Nothe said.

Why does this happen? Western Mass News First Alert Meteorologist Don Maher explained: “We are seeing this increased threat of wildfire because it has been so dry here. September has been a very dry month and so far we are two inches below where we should be for the month of October… Combine that with the winds picking up again this afternoon, and any bushfires that do start will tend to spread spreading very quickly.”

These fiery facts are something to keep in mind, and so are the tips on what to do if you come across those fires on the road or in your backyard. The place where Longmeadow saw those flames erupt is where we found a local hiker who knew exactly what to do.

“They should definitely call for help, but there’s definitely not much you can do as a hiker unless you’re running around with a fire extinguisher,” said Karasten Kristensen of East Longmeadow.

If this were a test, Kristensen would get an A-plus.

“The reason we don’t recommend people turn it off themselves is because there could be a deep-seated burn under leaves that they don’t know about,” Nothe added.

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