A parched fall in Massachusetts created dangerous elevated wildfire conditions for the state. A fire that developed in the middle of November forced officials to shut down one of the largest municipal parks in the country as the blaze burned near Boston.
What's happening?
An unusually warm and dry fall in the Northeast set the stage for some uncharacteristic wildfires. The Northeast Regional Climate Center reported that many of the climate sites it analyzes had an all-time driest October on record. Boston saw only 50% of its normal rainfall from September through November for the city's 11th-driest autumn on record.
According to the latest report from the U.S. Drought Monitor, a quarter of Massachusetts, including Suffolk County, which includes Boston, is under a severe drought at level three out of four. The dry conditions contributed to a fire in the Lynn Woods reservation, only about 11 miles outside of Boston.
"It's really dangerous in there," said Lynn Fire Chief Daniel Sullivan, referring to the Lynn Wood fire as it burned in November, per the Boston Globe. The blaze forced the closing of the country's second-largest municipal park. "It was a tinderbox," added Sullivan. "It just took off."
After igniting, the fire doubled in size in less than 24 hours in the middle of November. It scorched over 400 acres in the 2,200-acre Lynn Woods Reservation and caused an estimated $100,000 in damage.
Why is a November wildfire near Boston important?
A Climate Central analysis of nearly 500 weather stations across the country looked at historical trends in fire weather and the conditions that make it conducive for fires to burn, which includes low humidity, intense heat, and strong winds.
"The contiguous U.S. is 2.5°F warmer today than it was in 1970," noted Climate Central's study. "Warming that influences fire weather has been observed across the country. As this analysis demonstrates, fire weather isn't limited to the western U.S. — all regions experience conditions that increase the likelihood of more intense wildfires."
This year, the Northeast saw an unusually high number of wildfires impacting the region. A wildfire on the border of New York and New Jersey tragically took the life of an 18-year-old firefighter in early November when a tree fell on him.
The National Interagency Fire Center says there have been more than 52,000 wildfire incidents in the United States through early December, and fires have charred more than 8 million acres across the country during this period. The number of acres burned this year has more than tripled the number burned in 2023.
Research reveals that our overheating planet is creating warmer and drier conditions, which are contributing to longer and more active wildfire seasons.
What's being done about the rising risk of wildfires?
Colorado residents are using a surprising source of material to protect their homes from future wildfires. Mitigating wildfire impacts is important, but ultimately, reducing the amount of heat-trapping gases released into our atmosphere is the key to cooling off our planet and making conditions less conducive to wildfires.
It is crucial to move away from dirty energy sources to cleaner options like solar and wind energy. Spreading the word about climate issues to family and friends can hasten this transition.
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