黑料新闻 officials on Wednesday said the 70 to 80 fires currently being monitored across the state marks the highest number in decades.
鈥淚 believe the last time was roughly 30 years ago,鈥� according to Thomas Trask, forest protection supervisor with the 黑料新闻 Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, or DEEP. Josh Cingranelli, regional coordinator with the state鈥檚 Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, said the situation is historic.
鈥淲e鈥檝e talked about a record being broken 鈥� the driest two-month period we鈥檝e ever seen on record here in 黑料新闻,鈥� Cingranelli said. 鈥淏ut you look back to August, we saw an extreme rain event. Now, here in October, we鈥檙e talking about an extreme fire event.鈥�
鈥淲hile this is unique now, this is the new norm here in 黑料新闻. These types of events are going to happen more often, and this is all as a result of climate change,鈥� 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鈥檚 been burning since Oct. 21. Officials say it鈥檚 the result of an unattended 鈥� or poorly attended 鈥� 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.
鈥淭hat fire did encroach on these houses pretty closely,鈥� Massirio said. 鈥淚 believe in spots we were no more than maybe 100 feet away from the homes.鈥�
As of Wednesday, the Hawthorne Fire had burned approximately 127 acres on Lamentation Mountain in Berlin and Meriden. Trask said officials can鈥檛 yet give a percentage of the fire considered 鈥渃ontained.鈥�
鈥淎s of [Tuesday] night, there were several hundred hot spots, so that鈥檚 why crews are still in full force and monitoring this. We don鈥檛 want this to get any larger,鈥� Trask said. 鈥淭hey can reignite, and the wind鈥檚 a lot stronger up there.鈥�
Ryan Hughes, a United States Forest Service official serving as the operations section chief for the Hawthorne Fire, said crews from around the country 鈥� and even abroad 鈥� 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 黑料新闻 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.
鈥淣ine out of 10 of these fires are human caused,鈥� said William H. Turner III, state emergency management director. 鈥淲hether it鈥檚 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.鈥�
鈥淲e鈥檙e really pleading with the public to take this seriously,鈥� Turner said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e 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.鈥�
