LYNN — Firefighters on Wednesday evening were battling four different brush fires in the Lynn woods, officials said.
Those driving or walking down North Franklin Street Wednesday afternoon would likely smell burning wood in the air — by Walnut Street, clouds of smoke were visible from the street.
At around 7:45 p.m., Lieutenant Michael McBride was in the woods speaking with State Police troopers and members of the Fire Investigation Unit. He said that the fires were not yet extinguished and that the department would be back on Thursday to continue their work.
“We had a good few areas of fire up there. We had four engines, a ladder, a safety officer, the Chief, an ambulance, and the Mass Forest Chief, those were all the companies that were up there,” McBride said. “The fire’s still going, we’re going to be back here tomorrow. State Fire’s probably going to stay here a little while longer, but we’re trying to get out of here before it gets dark ’cause that’s when all the injuries and stuff happens.”
McBride said that as of 7:45 p.m., there were no reported injuries. He also said that it was anyone’s guess how the fires started.
“We have no injuries right now, but when it gets dark out, that’s when the injuries happen,” McBride said. “It’s been really dry out so who knows how it started.”
District Chief Joseph Zukas said the fire has been going on since about 3:30 p.m. and has burned approximately 10 acres. At one point, more than half of the department’s personnel had been dispatched to fight the blazes in the woods, he said.
The department was also using a newly purchased drone to survey the scope of the fires, Zukas said.
The cause of the fires remain under investigation, he said.
Anthony Cammalleri can be reached at [email protected]
