http://droughtreporter.unl.edu/

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Massachusetts firefighters battled more than 1,300 fires since the start of 2016, and the dry conditions make fires more difficult to extinguish, said David Celino, chief fire warden for the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation. The annual number of fires typically ranges from 1,500 to 1,700, so fire activity was clearly higher than normal. Most wildfires usually are brought under control quickly and are kept to six acres or less, but this summer, there have been several large fires. The dryness of the soil allows first to burn down as much as 10 inches and smolder, only to reignite days later, when it appeared that the fire had been put out. Greenwich Time (Conn.), Aug. 15, 2016 Massachusetts has seen more than 1,000 wildland fires in 2016, although the state usually records about 1,600 such fires per year. Dry weather has increased the fire risk in the state, said Dave Celino, chief forest fire warden for the state Department of Conservation and Recreation. CBS (New York), July 25, 2016