SALEM, MASS. (WHDH) - Brush fires are scorching Salem during the biggest week of the year for tourism.
Salem Mayor Dominick Pangallo said he does not expect any major changes to this week’s Halloween festivities due to the fires. However, he said visitors should use their best judgement on whether it is safe for them to be outside.
“Once we got into town, we noticed the heavy smoke. We thought it was part of the whole Salem allure, but turns out it’s actually just forest fires,” said visitor Jesse Padilla.
Salem is one of the many communities experiencing flames and smoke due to dry conditions this week. On Tuesday, Salem Public Schools canceled all outdoor activities and dismissed students early from Salem High School due to smoke in the air.
Pangallo recommends bringing a medical mask when visiting Salem, just in case.
The mayor said there are plenty of spooky events indoors, too. Currently, the city is focused on keeping visitors safe.
“Right now, downtown is not as bad as it was before, and it might change within the hour, so we’re going to keep monitoring the forecast, advise people to just be sensible, use precautions, don’t go into the areas where firefighters are working right now, obviously,” Pangallo said.
“But again, it’s a couple miles away from our downtown. So it’s kind of an obnoxious smell here in downtown, but there’s no danger from where the location is,” he continued.
The brush fire between Spring Pond and Highland Road was 95 percent contained, as of 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, the city posted on Facebook. About 172 acres have burned in the Salem fire.
Another brush fire on the other side of Highland Avenue in Salem Woods has burned about seven acres, and has been contained, the city said.
“Being from Los Angeles, I’m used to the fires, but this was a whole different element. I don’t think anybody was really prepared for that type of intensity. The smells were very strong, so I can understand why people could be more concerned,” Padilla said.
Despite the smoke, Pangallo said the city has already seen more visitors than this time last year. He said crews will be monitoring the area.
This is a developing news story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest details.
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