As wildfires devastate parts of Los Angeles, environmental conservation officials in New England are responding to concerns that a similar catastrophe could happen in Connecticut.
“The forest makeup in California is different than here in Connecticut,” said Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) Deputy Commissioner Mason Trumble. “We tend to have much more humid conditions throughout the year, which helps some of our free and dying wood to rot or decompose faster, rather than just building up over time.”
But while the state has not experienced anywhere close to the level of wildfire property damage and loss-of-life seen in California, Connecticut is the 14th most forested state in the country and has had significant wildfire activity.
At one point in the fall of 2024, Connecticut had 100 wildfires burning at one time. The worst of those was the Hawthorne Fire, which burned 127 acres and led to the death of a volunteer firefighter.
“Here in Connecticut, last fall’s dry conditions coupled with high winds underscored this vulnerability,” Trumble said. “We do a couple things here in the state to prepare.”
Firefighters at the ready, but more needed
One thing DEEP does to prepare for wildfires is to maintain a well-trained force to fight them.
“We have forest firefighters here in Connecticut, highly trained, five on staff at DEEP,” Trumble said. “We also train the Connecticut Interstate Fire Crew, an on-call volunteer crew made up of DEEP staff and members of the public. Anyone can apply.”
These teams not only assist in battling local fires, according to Trumble, but they are also key in responding to fires across the country.
“We've offered a crew to California,” Mason said. “We hope to send a crew out later if that offer is accepted.”
But, Trumble said he was worried about the future of Connecticut’s firefighting crews.
“What we’re seeing across the state is just less willingness to participate in a volunteer firefighting role..and less training,” Trumble said.
This year, the state had to call in crews from Quebec and from western states to bolster local capacity fighting the Hawthorne Fire. Trumble said recruiting and training the next generation of firefighters is a priority as Connecticut plans for the future.
Proactive measures
The department also executes protective measures, like active forest management, on state lands to mitigate fire risk.
“We do harvest trees. We do prescribed burns,” Trumble noted.
These measures help reduce the underbrush that can fuel wildfires. The state also maintains a network of forest service roads, which Trumble described as “fire breaks” that enable firefighters to access remote areas quickly during a blaze.
What private landowners should do
While the state manages its lands proactively, Trumble emphasized the importance of private landowners taking responsibility for fire prevention on their properties.
“If you are a private landowner and you’re concerned about fire, you need to take a hard look at managing the brush around your structures and the bushes, even if that means rethinking your landscaping,” he said.
The presence of shrubs and bushes - common in New England landscaping - can pose significant fire risks.
A lesson from “The Three Little Pigs”?
In the children's fable “The Three Little Pigs” a wolf blew down the wood and straw houses of two of the pigs, but had no luck destroying the brick constructed home of the third pig. Something similar has played out in the L.A. wildfires where a number of structures constructed of more concrete and steel have survived the fires.
There are experts who agree that this type of construction, along with shrub management, could make a structure more fire resistant.
But Trumble said he would stop short of endorsing any sort of government edict to mandate that property owners fortify the fire resistance of current homes in New England.
“Old houses are part of the New England landscape,” he said. “The best, most proactive step is managing the vegetation on your property, making sure you do have those buffers around your home.”
The Human Factor
Trumble said we human beings are both the cause of most wildfires and the greatest potential guardians against those fires.
“If you’re camping or just having a backyard fire, practice those good fire safety tips that you heard as a kid,” Trumble advised. “Make sure your fire is completely out. Double drench it. Make sure you have lots of water on hand.”
He says avoid leaving things like cigarettes or motorized lawn equipment near flammable materials.
“ All those types of things where you have a heat source—they can start fires,” he said.
