ROCKPORT, MASS. (WHDH) - Governor Charlie Baker has activated 30 specially trained firefighters with the Massachusetts National Guard to assist in putting out the Briarwood brush fire, which has been burning for a month.
“It’s a very intensive manual labor, so, you know, we have a perimeter of fire that we are dealing with. It’s a lot of thick brush, a lot of rocks, so we’re just combing the area, being very thorough,” said Sergeant First Class Steve Littlefield.
The Briarwood fire has burned through more than 19 acres, with new hot spots popping up constantly.
Littlefield said the lack of rain in Massachusetts has made it hard to contain the flames.
“It’s just very dry out there, so the fire is actually getting into the ground, and that’s probably the most challenging part is you might think an area is put out, and then you come back 10-15 minutes later and either it’s smoldering again or there’s active fire,” said Littlefield. “We are constantly chasing it around.”
Littlefield stressed that all hands are on deck with national guard tactical firefighters coming from across the state to help.
“We have a lot of people from a lot of different areas that bring a lot of experience to the table,” said Littlefield.
The activation was in response to a request from the Town of Rockport, which is advising residents to be careful when doing activities that could cause a brush fire, like grilling.
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