Smoke lingers in the air over Lynn Woods Reservation trails near the entrance off of Great Woods Rd in Lynn Sunday. (Libby O’Neill)
LYNN — Firefighting operations responding to the brush fires in Lynn Woods that began on the afternoon of May 12 have officially been completed, according to the Fire Department.
According to District Fire Chief Joseph Zukas, the amount of units working on the fires significantly decreased near the end of last week before the weekend’s rainfall “sealed the deal.”
“The rain over the weekend was a much-needed help,” the department wrote in a Facebook post. “Certain access restrictions will remain in place per the park ranger. All future trail updates will come through the city’s social media platforms.”
The fires ended up burning around 400 acres of Lynn Woods, Zukas said. On May 17, the department announced that eight of the fires were set intentionally.
If anyone has information on the incidents, contact the State Police Fire and Explosion Investigation Unit at 978-567-3310 or the Arson Watch Reward Program at 1-800-682-9225.
“The Arson Watch Reward Program is overseen by the Massachusetts Property Insurance Underwriters Association and offers rewards of up to $5,000. Tipsters may remain anonymous if they wish,” the Fire Department wrote in a Facebook post.
When the fires first began, they initially posed a threat to houses near Emerald Drive. As of May 14, according to Zukas, there was no longer a danger to homes near the woods.
“Any fire can present a hazard, but we saw rapid fire growth threatening numerous homes in our community as a result of these fires,” Fire Chief Dan Sullivan said. “Firefighters from Lynn and our mutual-aid partners worked extraordinarily hard to bring them under control, and we’re extremely fortunate that we had no serious injuries or property damage.”