State burns 20 acres to help keep Middleton fire at bay

MIDDLETON, Mass. — It is the largest wildfire still burning in Massachusetts, and if the next few days shape up as forecast, the Middleton Pond Fire will likely not go out anytime soon.

“We have concerns over the conditions coming in tomorrow,” said David Celino, chief forest fire warden for the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR). “With a front that’s coming through overnight it is looking more and more like it’s not going to produce much precipitation.”

That would be, for Massachusetts, the same old song. Since meteorological fall began in September, scant rainfall has fallen over the state -- so little that eastern Massachusetts is now considered to be in severe drought.

October is usually Middleton’s wettest month, with an average of four inches of precipitation. This year, the month will finish at about a 75% rainfall deficit. That’s not only dried the most obvious layer of the forest floor, but desiccated deeper, organic layers. That’s one of the reasons the fire persists.

“Organic soil actually can burn,” Celino said.

In fact, that organic layer can be up to two feet deep.

“As the leaf litter burns off, it really opens up that ability for a fire burning into those organic layers to vent out and take oxygen in,” said Celino. “They are going to stay hot, they’re going to burn, they’re going to produce smoke.”

On top of that, Massachusetts forests are filled with dead trees -- the victims of age, past drought and years of moth-induced deforestation. Celino said not only do these dead trees pose a fire risk -- they are a risk to firefighters.

“Those trees will burn out at the bases,” he said. “All it takes is one wind event or helicopter flying over to dislodge it and fall over and injure a firefighter or worse.”

Friday, the area is expected to see winds that may gust to 20 to 30 miles per hour -- more than enough to ignite smoldering areas but also to send embers flying. Celino said homeowners can protect their structures by clearing a ten foot perimeter devoid of flammable material.

Thursday, the state pitched in to help get the Middleton fire under control. DCR workers conducted what’s called a ‘burn-out’ operation.

“The purpose of this is to burn out the fuel, the leaves and sticks on the ground between here and the main fire,” said Alex Belote, fire program coordinator for DCR. “The reason we do this is for firefighter and public safety. The fire won’t burn where we’ve already burned.”

That operation is expected to char an additional 20 acres. That’s on top of the 170 that have burned since the fire broke out last Sunday.

While wildfires are not uncommon in fall in New England, the number of fires this October is running nearly 10 times above average. Celino said the five-year October wildfire average is 18 to 23.

“In the last seven days, we’ve had 120 fires with 450 acres burned,” he said. “And for the month, 186 fires and 589 acres burned.”

Most of those fires covered only a few acres thanks, Celino said, to community firefighting efforts.

Once Middleton gets past the Pond Fire, it will reap some rewards.

“The fire is a natural process,” said Andrew Regan, deputy chief warden for Massachusetts Fire Control. “It will reduce fire risk in this area in the future. It will lower fire intensity and it’s beneficial for the forest.”

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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