A parched fall in Massachusetts created dangerous elevated wildfire conditions for the state. A fire that developed in the middle of November forced officials to shut down one of the largest municipal parks in the country as the blaze burned near Boston.
What’s happening?
An unusually warm and dry fall in the Northeast set the stage for some uncharacteristic wildfires. The Northeast Regional Climate Center reported that many of the climate sites it analyzes had an all-time driest October on record. Boston saw only 50% of its normal rainfall from September through November for the city’s 11th-driest autumn on record.
According to the latest report from the U.S. Drought Monitor, a quarter of Massachusetts, including Suffolk County, which includes Boston, is under a severe drought at level three out of four. The dry conditions contributed to a fire in the Lynn Woods reservation, only about 11 miles outside of Boston.
“It’s really dangerous in there,” said Lynn Fire Chief Daniel Sullivan, referring to the Lynn Wood fire as it burned in November, per the Boston Globe. The blaze forced the closing of the country’s second-largest municipal park. “It was a tinderbox,” added Sullivan. “It just took off.”…