LYNN — Illegal fireworks caused the “football field” sized brush fire that raged for two hours in the Fay’s Estate in an area around Frog Pond Wednesday afternoon, according to the Lynn Fire Department.
Shortly before 1 p.m. Lynn firefighters responded to multiple calls from residents in the area and found a pretty “significant” fire around the pond, which is bordered by Fellsmere Street, Edgemere Road and Fays Avenue, fire officials said.
There were no injuries to residents or firefighters, and the only damage was to bulrushes, a type of water plant, in the marsh area. Crews were able to prevent the fire from spreading to nearby homes, Lynn Fire Capt. Joseph Zukas said.
“There’s a reason why fireworks are illegal in Massachusetts and if we didn’t get there quickly enough, it could have spread to nearby homes,” Zukas said. “It was a football field-sized area that burned (in the) back of people’s homes in a marsh area.”
Fire Chief Stephen Archer said the fire, which burned about one and a half acres of brush and threatened homes on Fays Avenue at one point, was caused by a man who admitted to setting off fireworks in the area. Lynn Fire Department investigators confiscated a large amount of fireworks from the man, he said.
The man, whose name was not released, could be fined up to $1,000 under state statutes. It has not been determined whether he will be charged for the incident. The department’s Fire Investigation Unit will continue to investigate the blaze, Archer said.
“Every year, especially at this time of year, we try to get the message out to the community (about) the dangers of illegal fireworks, in an attempt to avoid these types of dangerous occurrences,” Archer said.
The brush fire prompted a response from four Lynn fire engines, a ladder truck, a safety officer and the state Bureau of Forest Fire Control and Forestry, Zukas said.
