A map from the National Weather Service has shown that three full states are under a sweeping weather service warning.
The states of Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island are all under Red Flag Warnings, as New England continues to suffer from a rare autumn drought and ongoing wildfires.
Fire services have begged people to be careful and to avoid taking part in outdoor activities with open flames.
A Red Flag Warning is a notice issued to people and organizations to warn them of warm temperatures, high winds, and low humidity. All of these are factors in fire spread, and Red Flag Warnings are intended to stop people from lighting fires, or controlled burns.
Several firefighters in Massachusetts have been injured from blazes across the state stemming from the dry and warm conditions, according to the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services' social media (MDFS).
On November 11, the MDFS posted to their X (formerly Twitter) account, saying: "Dead and dying standing trees pose a serious injury hazard to firefighters battling the wildfires across Massachusetts right now. Several firefighters have already been injured."
The MDFS has also been asking people to "PLEASE refrain from any outdoor activity involving open flames, sparks/embers, & other ignition sources," as the fires continue to rage across the area.
As well as being under a Red Flag Warning, the state of Connecticut is under a stage 2 drought advisory, meaning the state is experiencing early drought conditions.
Over the weekend, @GovNedLamont declared a Stage 2 Drought Advisory for all of CT. During this stage, residents can take action by:
✅ Shutting down automatic outdoor irrigation
✅ Minimizing water use by fixing leaky plumbing/fixtures
✅ Following local conservation requests
Governor Ned Lamont, issued a press release on November 9, stating: "The lack of rain over the past two months has caused exceptionally dry conditions across Connecticut, resulting in numerous wildfires and reduced groundwater levels and stream flows.
"We want to raise awareness that as this lack of rain continues, there is a possibility that this emerging drought event could intensify, which is why we want to encourage everyone right now to be mindful of their water consumption and take some simple, sensible steps to stretch water supplies."
Red Flag warnings are common in the fall and the spring, however, this current Red Flag Warning is part of a several-weeks-long warning in the New England and Tri-State area.
The East Coast has been experiencing drought-like conditions since early October, resulting in wildfires across the northern part of the coast.
Not only are Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island under warnings, but the entire state of New Jersey is under a fire warning, ranging from 'high' risk in the south of the state, to 'extreme' risk in the north of the state.
The fires turned deadly over the weekend when a teenager working for the New York State Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation Department died while fighting the blaze ranging between New York and New Jersey.
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