North Shore Park Reopens After Week Of Fires Burns 86 Acres

LYNN, MA — Most of Lynn Woods Reservation reopened on Friday after a week of fires burned more than 86 acres of the North Shore municipal park.

Lynn fire officials said the park is open to visitors with the exception of Cornel Path, All of Boulder Path, and Richardson Path between Stone Tower and Cornel Path, which remain closed for now.

Lynn fire, which worked with several neighboring departments and had extra crews on throughout the past two weeks, said on Monday they used about 5,000 feet of hose and 40,000 gallons of water to fight the stubborn flames. More than 120 firefighters participated in containment efforts in the Lynn fire alone over the past 10 days.

All outdoor open flame fires — including campfires and charcoal cookouts — were banned across Massachusetts state parks on Tuesday as crews battled 38 fires totaling 188 acres statewide over the past seven days amid the extreme drought conditions.

It is the first such statewide ban since 2016. There is an exception for small portable propane grills at campgrounds and recreation areas where grilling is permitted.

The ban was effective immediately and will be in place "until further notice," according to the Department of Conservation and Recreation.

Heavy rains earlier this week have not changed the drought situation in Massachusetts — in fact, the drought is worse.

In an update Wednesday, the state Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs expanded the "critical" drought status to include Cape Cod. The state also moved the drought status from "mild" to "significant" in the Berkshires, Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard.

The core population areas of the state, including the North Shore, South Shore, Boston area, Worcester area and Springfield area all remained in "critical" drought.

(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.)