Lynn, Saugus firefighters battle Easter blaze inside Lynn Woods

LYNN – Lynn and Saugus fire departments worked for hours Sunday to extinguish a large brush fire in a secluded area of Lynn Woods, Lynn District Chief James McDonald said.The smell of burning wood permeated much of Lynn and Saugus throughout Sunday, along with a light haze of smoke from the 7- to 8-acre fire, which could be see burning on along the shore of Birch Pond facing Walnut Street.Around noon, the fire was covering about 3 to 4 acres of forest off Pennybrook Road in the 2,200-acre Lynn Woods Reservation, McDonald said. But, by 2:45 p.m., he said the fire had doubled in size and crews were seeking the help of Middleton Fire Department?s specialized tanker.McDonald said about 90 percent of the fire was located in Saugus but, at first, it was easier for Lynn firefighters to get to. It took crews about 20 minutes to reach the fire from the nearest road, Saugus Fire Lt. Rick Porter said, and McDonald noted crews had trouble reaching the flames with the equipment, calling the location the “most dense part of the woods.”?It?s about a mile walk from the road where the trucks are to the site of the fire,” McDonald said. “They?re calling it No Man?s Land.”Lynn Fire had cleared the scene by 5 p.m., according to Porter, leaving about six Saugus firefighters to push the flames toward the water. At one point, both departments had about 24 people combating the fire.?It looks like a couple sets of fires,” Porter said. “It?s hard to tell if the embers flew that far or if somebody set multiple fires.”The cause of the fire would be investigated, Porter said, but no obvious signs pointed to arson.The fire burned its way to a path in the woods, Porter said, and his crew was able to keep it from jumping farther in. They then knocked down the far corner of the fire with the help of a floating pump in the pond.Firefighters from both departments used an inflatable raft to transport hosing equipment from a spot on Walnut Street to the firefighters on the other side of Birch Pond.By dusk, Saugus Fire had begun pulling crews out, hoping the flames, now mostly confined to the shores, would put themselves out.?It gets dangerous at night, and you already can?t tell where you are,” Porter said, looking at an overcast sky. “It would be nice if it would rain a little.”The Item reported in Saturday?s editions that area fire chiefs have been concerned over the dry conditions and high potential for brush fires.?We?ve been waiting for this, to be honest,” McDonald said.Taylor Provost can be reached at [email protected].