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CT’s worst drought on record leads to 50 brush fires

Molly Ingram
/
WSHU
Dry ground and dead foliage makes it easy for fire to spread.

Connecticut firefighters were monitoring around 50 brush fires across the state as of Monday afternoon.

Gov. Ned Lamont said the state is experiencing its worst drought on record, making it extremely susceptible to fires.

He outlined a list of things to avoid to prevent more fires.

“No open flames outdoors, no campfires, bonfires, fire pits, outdoor cooking, until we get that rain, until we get a soaking rain, not a little sample out there,” Lamont said. “And if we do that together, we're going to get through what looks like a very flammable last month in the next couple of weeks.”

Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Commissioner Katie Dykes said even small Halloween jack-o-lanterns could light a fire.

“We are a state that has a lot of trees, a lot of forests, and a lot of homes and buildings in close proximity to those forests,” Dykes said. “So this is why it's important for us to really be mindful. Even parking cars on dry grass can be something that could start a fire.”

The biggest fire started in Berlin. Officials believe it was caused by a campfire. On Monday afternoon, it burned about 120 acres of land.

The state’s National Guard has dropped over 340,000 gallons of water from helicopters. The last time the National Guard dropped water on a fire in Connecticut was in 1995.

Molly is a reporter covering Connecticut. She also produces Long Story Short, a podcast exploring public policy issues across Connecticut.