Reading Fire Department Issues Outdoor Burn Ban

Community Corner

Reading Fire Department Issues Outdoor Burn Ban The ban comes as persistent drought conditions have led to wildfires across the state.

READING, MA — Reading has issued an outdoor/open air burn ban as hundreds of wildfires have popped up around the state due to drought conditions.

Firefighters have dealt with large blazes in Salem and Middleton, and the state issued a Red Flag Warning, indicating critical fire conditions.

The Reading Fire Department issued the following statement on Facebook :

The Reading Fire Department today issued a prohibition of any outdoor open flames through Tuesday, November 12, 2024. This includes recreational fires, cooking fires, charcoal grills, and any other open flame. This does prohibition does not include outdoor cooking grills that use propane or natural gas fuel.

"There are major wildland fires burning across Massachusetts and there has been a wildfire in every community that surrounds Reading," said Reading Fire Chief Greg Burns. "The severe drought conditions make more of these fires more likely in the days to come and we need to take action to protect the residents of Reading."

Currently, there are 12 major fires burning in Massachusetts and many of these fires are in communities that are geographically close to Reading. These communities include Saugus, North Andover, Salem and Middleton with 2 large fires. Almost all these fires start with human activity and almost all of them are preventable.

All these wildfires have control challenges due to foliage drop onto actively burning or smoldering vegetation. The ongoing dry weather conditions will continue to promote the further drying of surface fuels like leaf litter and dead wood, making them readily ignitable. Any ignition source, such as sparks from machinery, discarded cigarettes, or unattended outdoor burning could quickly lead to a fast-moving fire.

Reading has large and small tracts of undeveloped land that directly abut residential properties. Sparks from an outdoor fire could quickly cause a wildfire that could threaten homes.

The Reading Fire Department would like to thank the residents of Reading for their cooperation and understanding.