LYNN — An “extensive” brush fire that broke out in the Lynn Woods Reservation Friday is still raging, and fire officials say it will likely continue to burn until the area gets rain.
The fire broke out Friday afternoon and initially posed a threat to houses near Emerald Drive, but District Fire Chief Joseph Zukas said Sunday that it is no longer a danger to homes near the woods. Over the course of the weekend, the fire moved deeper into the woods, and was burning in an area near Stone Tower, and another area close to the banks of Walden Pond, Zukas said.
The cause of the blaze remains under investigation by the department’s fire investigation unit, but Zukas said initial examination indicated that multiple fires broke out in the woods around the same time, which he described as “odd.”
While Zukas did not definitively say whether the origins of the fire were suspicious, he urged residents who noticed any suspicious activity to contact the department.
“If any residents see anything out of the ordinary or anybody acting strange … they should contact the fire department immediately,” he said in a brief telephone interview Sunday afternoon, adding that the blaze appeared “very similar” to a suspicious brush fire that broke out on Aug. 17. That fire consumed more than 100 acres of the Lynn Woods and forced its closure.
Zukas said the fire department had gone into the woods several times Sunday and would be responding to the fire periodically, as needed depending on conditions. He said the state forestry department had brought equipment into the woods and was aiding Lynn firefighters in responding.
Zukas described the blaze as a “nuisance” because it spans such a large area and goes underground.
“This isn’t going to go away until we get some rain,” he said.
Residents are urged to avoid areas of the woods that have been affected, as Zukas noted the risk of trees falling as a result of sustaining damage in the blaze.
“We just want residents to be careful,” he said.
