There are currently at least 50 active wildfires burning across Connecticut, according to the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, including the ongoing Hawthorne Fire in Berlin.
That fire has reached over 120 acres. It injured several first responders and led to the death last week of Wethersfield firefighter Robert Sharkevich, Sr. who was remembered during a funeral service Monday.
“We are, frankly, trying to keep up with the reports coming in,” said Chris Martin, state forester with DEEP. “At least 50 active fires [are] currently burning in Connecticut.”
Katie Dykes, head of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, said there is a statewide “burn ban” in effect at public lands administered by her agency.
“So that ban applies to state parks, to forests and to wildlife management areas. This prevents any open flames: campfires, burning and so on,” she said.
State emergency management officials took advisories a step further, cautioning residents to “avoid burning of any kind outdoors” including Jack-o-Lanterns.
🔥 CT Residents: High fire danger today! Dry weather and strong winds create perfect conditions for wildfires. Avoid burning of any kind outdoors, do not light your jack-o-lanterns, & dispose of cigarettes safely. Let's keep our forests and communities safe!🌲 #FireSafety #CT
— CT Emergency Management & Homeland Security (@CTDEMHS) October 28, 2024
The dozens of wildfires currently burning are still dangerous, officials said.
“All the fires in Connecticut currently have the possibility of reignition,” he said. “And that’s why we are considering … no fires to be contained or controlled.”
Meanwhile, Maj. Gen. Francis Evon said 40 members of the Connecticut National Guard are working to contain fires throughout the state.
That response includes over 340,000 gallons of water dropped from helicopters.
“They’re staging out of our facility up at Bradley. We’ve got one CH-47 that we’re staging up there and also one UH-60,” Evon said. “And, new over the weekend, we have [an] additional eight firefighters that are on the ground in Berlin, cutting lines, pulling hoses at the Hawthorne Fire.”
Evon says his agency hasn’t done aerial drops of water since 1995.
Gov. Ned Lamont declared a state of emergency on Friday to help first responders deal with the ongoing wildfire threat.
With no significant rain in the immediate forecast, Lamont said Monday that residents need to remain vigilant for the ongoing threat of wildfires across the state.
“No open flames – just put that away,” Lamont said. “Each and every one of those little embers, you think it is out. And, actually, it can spread.”
