Connecticut officials on Wednesday said the 70 to 80 fires currently being monitored across the state marks the highest number in decades.
“I believe the last time was roughly 30 years ago,” according to Thomas Trask, forest protection supervisor with the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, or DEEP. Josh Cingranelli, regional coordinator with the state’s Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, said the situation is historic.
“We’ve talked about a record being broken – the driest two-month period we’ve ever seen on record here in Connecticut,” Cingranelli said. “But you look back to August, we saw an extreme rain event. Now, here in October, we’re talking about an extreme fire event.”
“While this is unique now, this is the new norm here in Connecticut. These types of events are going to happen more often, and this is all as a result of climate change,” Cingranelli said.
The men spoke at a press conference held in a housing development in Berlin, Conn., near the starting point of the Hawthorne Fire, a blaze that’s been burning since Oct. 21. Officials say it’s the result of an unattended – or poorly attended – campfire paired with high winds, hotter than normal temperatures, low dew points and exceptionally dry conditions.
Berlin Fire Chief John Massirio said eagle-eyed residents who noticed the fire quickly were to thank for the fire not reaching their homes.
“That fire did encroach on these houses pretty closely,” Massirio said. “I believe in spots we were no more than maybe 100 feet away from the homes.”
As of Wednesday, the Hawthorne Fire had burned approximately 127 acres on Lamentation Mountain in Berlin and Meriden. Trask said officials can’t yet give a percentage of the fire considered “contained.”
“As of [Tuesday] night, there were several hundred hot spots, so that’s why crews are still in full force and monitoring this. We don’t want this to get any larger,” Trask said. “They can reignite, and the wind’s a lot stronger up there.”
Ryan Hughes, a United States Forest Service official serving as the operations section chief for the Hawthorne Fire, said crews from around the country – and even abroad – were contributing to the response, with firefighters on scene from Washington state, New Hampshire, Maine, New York, and the Canadian province of Quebec.
A state of emergency declared Friday by Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont remains in effect, with officials urging residents to comply with a ban on outdoor burning and be diligent with fire safety practices.
“Nine out of 10 of these fires are human caused,” said William H. Turner III, state emergency management director. “Whether it’s a cigarette being thrown out a window or somebody ignoring the municipal burn bans and having a fire pit, or some sort of debris burn on their property.”
“We’re really pleading with the public to take this seriously,” Turner said. “We’re not expecting rain for some time, and we really need everybody to do their part to help us keep these fires at bay and prevent new ones from starting.”
