The high fire danger continues because of dry, windy conditions and communities including Milford, Lakeville, North Haven, Bristol and Wallingford have battled with quick-moving fires.
To help prevent the problem, state and local officials offer some tips.
Ensure that discarded smoking materials are placed in non-combustible ash cans.
Quite often fires begin in garden mulch close to a house or a business entry and even flower boxes are susceptible to fires, so keep the soil moist.
Another frequent cause of a brush fire is improperly discarded ashes from a fireplace or charcoal grill.
Discarded ashes are blamed for the fire in Stamford on Christmas Day that killed Lily Badger, age 9, her twin 7-year-old sisters, Grace and Sarah Badger, and their grandparents, Pauline and Lomer Johnson.
Last week, Southbury experienced a brush fire ignited by ashes that were presumed to be cool, the first selectman said in a news release.
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Discarded ashes should be stored in a capped, non-combustible container, and should be thoroughly cooled with water to the point that they are drenched.
The fire marshal’s office also advises residents that burning season has officially ended and encourages you to pile brush safely for the next burn season or take it to the transfer station.
If you have received a permit from your local open burning official to burn brush on your property, the permit is not valid if the forest fire danger is rated high, very high or extreme and you are burning within 100 feet of a grassland or woodland, according to state environmental officials.
More tips are posted on the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Web site.
