State Of Emergency Declared In CT By Gov. Lamont Due To Fire Weather Conditions

CONNECTICUT — Gov. Ned Lamont on Friday announced that he has declared a state of emergency due to the critical fire weather conditions that exist throughout Connecticut, as well as the continued response to the brush fire at Lamentation Mountain in Berlin and Meriden, which is being commonly referred to as the "Hawthorne Fire."

"Over the last two months, Connecticut has experienced severely dry conditions and lack of rain, which has increased the threat of fire conditions and caused several fires to start throughout the state," Lamont said in a news release. "The filing of this declaration will help provide state and local emergency management officials with the necessary tools to monitor and limit the threat of potential fires, respond to active fires, and respond to any additional fires that may start. We are strongly urging all Connecticut residents to avoid any type of outdoor burning as the current conditions pose a high risk of fire danger."

Lamont's full declaration of civil preparedness emergency can be found here.

In a social media post on X, Lamont said that Connecticut residents should avoid any type of outdoor burning “as the current conditions pose a high risk of fire danger.”

According to Lamont's office, as of the afternoon of Friday, Oct. 25, there is no rain forecasted in Connecticut for at least the next seven to 10 days.

During the past week, the National Weather Service has issued several advisories regarding the fire conditions in the state, most notably a Red Flag Warning, which indicates that critical fire weather conditions are expected or are occurring.

According to the Connecticut National Guard, which reportedly was joined by helicopter units from Maine, 101,000 gallons of water were dumped on the Hawthrone Fire from nearby Silver Lake.

While firefighters battle the blaze, the community will soon pay tribute to one of their own who died in the fight.

Services for fallen Wethersfield Volunteer Fire Department firefighter Robert Sharkevich Sr. are slated for Sunday, Oct. 27, and Monday, Oct. 28, with his wake on Sunday and a funeral Mass set for Monday.

Sharkevich, 66, was killed Tuesday after a WVVFD utility vehicle specially designed for battling forest fires overturned during firefighting operations late Tuesday afternoon.

Read more on the Hawthorne Fire here.

Here are the extended forecast details for Connecticut via the National Weather Service:

Saturday: Partly sunny, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 64. Light west wind becoming northwest 6 to 11 mph in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 26 mph.

Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 56. Northwest wind 6 to 9 mph.

Monday: Sunny, with a high near 56. North wind 3 to 5 mph.

Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 63. Light and variable wind becoming south 5 to 10 mph in the morning.

Wednesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 73. Southwest wind 8 to 11 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph.

Thursday: Partly sunny, with a high near 78. Southwest wind 7 to 9 mph.

Friday: Partly sunny, with a high near 74. West wind 6 to 9 mph.