Photo: James Rojas/WBZ NewsRadio
WAKEFIELD, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — State Fire Marshals are urging residents to practice safety measures during open burning season, which started on Thursday.
This comes amid a spike in wildfires. Massachusetts saw a 1,200% increase in brushfires between October and November of last year. Meantime, California is currently battling several wildfires in Los Angeles County, where more than 40,000 acres have burned and at least 25 people have been killed.
During open burning season, residents in some Massachusetts communities are allowed to burn brush, trees or other agricultural materials on their property.
Wakefield is among the towns that allow open burning, but Fire Chief Michael Sullivan said that a permit is required.
“And it has to be constantly attended and they have to have a means to control it,” he said. That could be a garden hose, a rake, or a shovel.
But, Sullivan said it is becoming harder to do opening burning in the community because Wakefield is “densely settled.” That means there is less air space for burning and for smoke to travel.
Sullivan said the department gets complaints from other residents who are concerned about potential health hazards from the smoke
Those calls “ends up to be a nuisance call,” Sullivan continued. “Where we show up, we tell them someone in the neighborhood complained, and you’re [going to] have to put it out. Even if you’re not doing anything wrong, you [have to] put it out because you’re causing plenty of neighbor’s health concern.”
Open burning season lasts until May 1 and must be done between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Permits are required to participate and can be obtained through local fire department.
Here are cities that prohibits open burning:
- Arlington
- Belmont
- Boston
- Brookline
- Cambridge
- Chelsea
- Chicopee
- Everett
- Fall River
- Holyoke
- Lawrence
- Lowell
- Malden
- Medford
- New Bedford
- Newton
- Somerville
- Springfield
- Waltham
- Watertown
- West Springfield
- Worcester
For more information, visit the state’s Open Burning Safety page here.
WBZ NewsRadio’s James Rojas (@JamesRojasMMJ) reports.
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