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Tinderboxachusetts: Boston area wakes up to the smell of smoke from brush fires erupting all over

By adamg on Mon, 10/28/2024 - 9:11am
Smoke-fed haze over Boston Harbor

Where's the Tobin? Morning haze over Boston Harbor. Photo by Josh Bittker.

On both sides of the Charles, people called 911 to report the smell of smoke this morning, as bone-dry brush in greater Boston started flaming overnight.

The Cambridge Fire Department reports:

During the night & early this morning, fire companies in our area have responded to several "odor of smoke"calls due to the smoke from the brush fires in the North Shore area, Salem, Saugus, Lynn, Peabody, etc.

Roslindale, Jamaica Plain and Brookline residents also reported smoke and haze, apparently also from brush fires elsewhere.

The National Weather Service says the largest of these is a 100-acre fire in Salem, and adds:

A surface inversion is keeping this smoke trapped near the ground, but the smoke should "mix out" later this morning.

The NWS says the ongoing lack of rain increases the chances of such fires:

The combination of recent dry weather and very dry ground will continue to make conditions favorable for wildfire development today. Minimum relative humidity values are expected to range between 25 to 45 percent today, along with light north winds.

Use caution when handling and disposing of ignition sources. Outdoor burning is not recommended.

The NWS says there's a chance of showers on Friday.

Neighborhoods: 
Boston
Cambridge
Salem
Topics: 
Fire
Weather


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Comments

By SwirlyGrrl on Mon, 10/28/2024 - 9:50am.

Citizens, community groups, and the state have these small local area monitors all over the continent.

Purple Air Map

Mine started ramping around 3am, and the neighborhood woke up at 4:15 or so. Firefighters came up our street looking for a fire in the woods because someone reported the smoke. It was coming down the terrain of the Fells on the north-northeast wind.

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By anon on Mon, 10/28/2024 - 10:57am.

The smell is very strong in Dorchester and the map confirms that. I originally thought it might be the Salem fire since the wind is coming from the North. But now I am noticing Dot, Quincy and Milton all have high levels of particulate matter. Maybe it's coming from the Blue Hills.

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By Don't Panic on Tue, 10/29/2024 - 1:11am.

Milton went up from 36 to 40 while I was checking Purple Air a minute or two ago. Does smoke get worse when fires are being doused? I know it changes color.

UPDATE:

43 now. Still "Air quality is satisfactory, and air pollution poses little or no risk with 24 hours of exposure" but it makes me think something has started in the Blue Hills area as well.

By Don't Panic on Tue, 10/29/2024 - 9:44am.

Down to 2 in Milton as of 9:44am.

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By BostonDog on Mon, 10/28/2024 - 10:30am.

That's the way Boston and much of the area would have smelled (plus manure, burning coal, sewage, etc) from the late 1600s to early 1900s.

I kinda like the wildfire smell but not the reasons for it.

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By mg on Mon, 10/28/2024 - 10:53am.

I'm particularly sensitive to particulate pollution and am feeling the bad air quality.

AirNow is a good resource for air quality info
https://www.airnow.gov/?city=Boston&state=MA&country=USA

They have a fire and smoke map at https://fire.airnow.gov/

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By SwirlyGrrl on Mon, 10/28/2024 - 11:00am.

Air Now is regional and runs off of the DEP airshed monitors. At the time my local monitor skyrocketed over 200, Air Now was still reading a regional AQI of around 20. It didn't adjust until later in the morning. That is because they are built around regional airshed compliance.

The wildfire smoke plume maps are typically geared to the larger fires and not necessarily small scale plumes.

If you need more precise readings in your local space, Purple Air has all the small monitors - and these also show on the fire and smoke map even if your current plume isn't there. Note that some of these local monitors are DEP maintained.

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By adamg on Mon, 10/28/2024 - 11:48am.

Air Now incorporates at least some Purple Air readings.

https://fire.airnow.gov/#10.72/42.3664/-71.0544

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By MrZip on Mon, 10/28/2024 - 12:23pm.

One of the oldest, continually operated air monitoring stations in the country is right here in Kenmore Square. I'm old enough to remember traffic cops keeling over because of carbon monoxide in the ambient air, let's hope we never go back to THAT!

https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/massachusetts-air-quality-sensors-en...

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By RosiMama on Mon, 10/28/2024 - 2:23pm.

I thought that was our neighbor’s wood burning stove. Very strong smell in Roslindale

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By hamhands on Mon, 10/28/2024 - 5:12pm.

I was among a long convoy of fire vehicles from all over heading south on Route 3 between 495 and 128 yesterday. This probably explains that.

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