TOPSFIELD, Mass. — A family playing with model rockets sparked a two-acre brush fire that scorched an athletic complex in Topsfield on Wednesday.
Firefighters responding to a report of a fire spreading across a field at Pye Brook Park just shortly before 1 p.m. immediately called for assistance and scrambled to prevent the fire from spreading to nearby homes, according to Topsfield Fire and Rescue.
Due to the size of the fire and the hot temperatures, firefighters became quickly exhausted and crews had to be rotated out frequently, fire officials said. The lack of a pressurized water system also hindered crews as they worked to extinguish the flames.
Investigators say the fire was started by the rockets and burnt about two acres.
Photos from the scene showed charred grass on multiple baseball fields.
Fire officials reminded the public that there is an elevated fire risk due to severe drought conditions.
“With the recent severe drought, residents and visitors of Topsfield are cautioned as to the dangerous fire conditions that exist. Activities like using model rocketry, smoking, cooking, and camp fires may seem benign but are immeasurably more likely to cause a fire given the dry conditions,” officials said in a statement.
The cause of fire was deemed unintentional and there were no charges filed.
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