Smoke On The North Shore: Hazy Days As Brushfires Burn Across Region

SALEM, MA — The persistent sight and smell of smoke throughout the North Shore had many residents feeling the effects of expansive brushfires in Lynn, Saugus and Wakefield throughout the weekend.

The Lynn Wood Reservation remained closed indefinitely on Sunday as crews battled pop-up blazes from underground hot spots and shifting winds sent smoke in the direction of Salem and Peabody at times, and Nahant at others.

"The drought continues to allow these fires to burn," the Lynn Fire Department said on Sunday. "As the running fire is knocked down with handlines, and the underground fire continues and pop up along the root system. Firefighters are digging seven to 10 feet down and still finding the ground to be extremely hot and dry as powder.

"Trees that are burnt out at the bottom continue to be a concern and we are watching them as many have fallen."

Lynn fire said the flames reached the back end of Gannon Golf Course Saturday night and were burning to the left side of the stone tower and out to Cooke and Dungeon Roads on Sunday.

A brush truck and tanker from the Middletown Fire Department was called in on Sunday to help provide water. An extra Lynn crew was put on to fight the brush fire while the department continued to respond to emergency calls.

Lynn fire thanked North Shore residents for their donations of water and Gatorade throughout the week.

"Every rig is sent to the woods with these cases of water, Gatorade, and snacks," it said. "It certainly means a lot."

Meanwhile, residents from throughout the North Shore reported smelling and seeing the smoke from the fires miles away.

"Residents are being asked not to call the police department regarding the smoke in the area of parts of our city," Beverly police said on Saturday. "Neighboring communities are battling a brushfire and the smoke is a residual effect from those fires. There is no fire in the city of Beverly at this time."

The Danvers Fire Department released a similar alert.

"We are experiencing a haze of smoke and strong odors in certain parts of Danvers," Danvers fire said. "This is due to ongoing fires in the Lynn Woods, Breakheart Reservation in Saugus, and several other outside fires in the area.

"While we cannot stress the importance of immediately reporting a true emergency, we are aware of the smoke condition caused by this ongoing issue. Of course, do not hesitate to call 911 immediately if you see fire, a column of smoke, or need to report a true emergency."

National Guard helicopters were scheduled to join the fight against fires in the Breakheart Reservation in Saugus and Wakefield on Sunday, dropping water as the flames burn into the sixth day in the region.

The Lynn Fire Department said no structures were in immediate danger from the Lynn Woods fires as of Sunday and that they expected the next update on Monday morning.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)