(WFSB) - State environmental officials sought to remind people to exercise caution during the spring brush fire season.
The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection said the season typically runs from mid-March to mid-May.
DEEP said that after the snow melts in the northeastern part of the U.S., the state enters into a traditional spring fire season.
"This is a time of year when deciduous (non-evergreen) trees are bare, allowing the warm spring sun to heat up forest 'fuels,'" the agency said. "Forest fuels consist of anything that burns, such as grass, leaves, twigs, branches, and decaying material in the soil."
As the days grow longer and the sun gets hotter, the fuels that are most exposed quickly dry out. DEEP said grasses, twigs, and small branches are called "1-hour fuels," which means they can dry out and become ready to burn within an hour. Fires that start at this time of year burn just these 1-hour fuels and can spread very fast, particularly when it's windy.
In 2024, Connecticut had a total of 605 wildfires, with 510 acres impacted, DEEP said. The response to them included one firefighter death and several injuries.
DEEP also said the majority of wildfires in Connecticut are caused by human actions such as improper burning of debris or poor management of campfires, arson, careless discarding of wood ashes, and placing motorized equipment on top of or adjacent to fire fuels.
"As we saw from our historic brush fire season last fall, brush fires are a serious hazard, particularly in a densely populated state like Connecticut," said Commissioner Katie Dykes, DEEP. "With increasingly extreme weather conditions, it's all the more important for residents to be vigilant and careful when burning anything outdoors."
Dykes said local open burning permits are automatically suspended on days when the fire danger level is high, very high, or extreme.
"Please be sure to properly dispose of wood ashes, make sure all campfires are completely extinguished and wet and cool to the touch before leaving the area, and take proper care when extinguishing and disposing of smoking materials such as cigarette butts," she said.
The state fire marshal noted that brush fires can quickly threaten homes and buildings.
"Even a small camp fire can turn deadly in a matter of minutes," said State Fire Marshal Lauri Volkert. "Make sure an alert adult constantly attends to every outdoor fire. Teach children how to be safe around fire by keeping a 3-foot kid-free zone around any campfire, storing matches and lighters securely out of kids' reach and modeling responsible behavior around fire."