Salem brush fires lead to smoke-filled morning for Boston residents

By Jordan Pagkalinawan

Weekend wildfires from Eastern Massachusetts left residents seeing and smelling smoke Monday morning. Two separate fires burned in Salem and Millbury Friday, with the latter leaving one woman deceased at an encampment. Another brush fire sparked Sunday in Middleton, with crews battling a 50-acre fire near power lines. In total, the fires across the North Shore have burned up to 400 acres of land, according to WMTW.

The fires came one day after the National Weather Service issued a red flag alert over social media, writing, “Very dry conditions and gusty northwest winds will cause fires to spread quickly should they start.”

David Celino, the chief fire warden with the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, told NBC10 Boston there were 18 new fires in the state within the last 24 hours, bringing the total number to 47. “Fall fire activity in New England is not that uncommon. It doesn’t happen every year,” he added. “It follows emerging drought coming out of the summer months.”

Haze and smoke greeted residents on Monday morning, as seen by NBC10 Boston aerial photojournalist Ed Huges, who posted a picture of the clouded sky from the station’s helicopter and wrote, “Please be careful and mindful!!!”

Another resident, John LaGrace, voiced his displeasure on social media, posting on X, “Is Boston on fire? Just walked outside and could barely breathe through the strong smoke smell.”

The effects of the fires were even felt in Needham, with the city’s police department writing on Facebook: “We do not want you to be alarmed. If you believe the odor is NOT related to those brush fires, please call 911 and the appropriate resources will be dispatched!”

NWS Boston said a surface invasion—a temperature difference between layers of air in the sky—caused smoke to be trapped close to the ground. However, the smoke cleared out later this morning.