SALEM, MASS. (WHDH) – Brush fires burned through wooded areas around Massachusetts over the weekend and into Monday, amid dry conditions and windy weather.
A woman was found dead in a burning encampment in Millbury Sunday evening, according to the Department of Fire Services.
Firefighters extinguished the brush fire near the Blackstone River Bikeway near Route 146, the department said. Another brush fire was burning in Weston, where fire crews were working to contain the flames.
In Stoughton, hot spots spread across about 10 acres of conservation land.
“Initially they thought they’d be able to handle it, but then realized it’s all back into this conservation area,” said Stoughton Fire Chief Michael Carroll.
Carroll said his goal is to contain the flames and keep them away from the houses on Woodpecker Road and Sparrow Drive.
“To me, right now, if I can contain and protect that neighborhood on the backside, running south, it runs into water, and just letting that go right now,” he said.
Crews are also working against fires burning underground, he said.
“I guess it’s burning down into the roots and weakening them, and we’ve had about four or five trees fall,” Carroll said.
He said he expects firefighters to be tackling the blaze for the next couple of days.
Other fires were reported in Beverly and Middleton.
Firefighters in Salem worked throughout Saturday night and Sunday morning to extinguish a large brush fire near the Lynn line.
The fire broke out near the Walmart on Highland Avenue and sent a large plume of smoke over the neighborhood.
Crews could be seen using ladder trucks to feed water lines into the woods, where brush and trees were on fire.
A smoky odor lingered in the air in Boston Monday.
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