By SANDY McGEE

BURRILLVILLE — Local fire officials are asking residents to be on alert after a series of brush fires ignited throughout the state and nearby Massachusetts this past weekend.

“People should be vigilant regarding outside fires right now,” said Deputy Chief Michael Gingell of the Harrisville Fire Department. “This is the normal peak season for brush fires.”
According to the Department of Environmental Management (DEM), mid-March through mid-May is the traditional spring brush fire period in Rhode Island. Current dry and windy weather conditions have also been cited as factors for an increase in brush fires this last week.
Approximately 189 wildfires over 375 acres at various locations throughout Massachusetts were reported on Saturday. Locally, members of the Blackstone Fire Department responded to several reports of area brush fires on Saturday and Sunday.
In the Ocean State, a brush fire on Thursday damaged the Audubon Society boardwalk in Warren, as well as the woods and marshlands near the East Bay Bike Path.
On Sunday, members of the Harrisville and Pascoag Fire Districts were called in to assist firefighters from Massachusetts and Connecticut at a large brush fire in East Thompson, Conn. The fire reportedly spread to nearly 40 acres of land in a period of five hours.
“The best thing people can do (to prevent brush fires) is not do any burning illegally and consult with their local fire departments,” said Cathy Sparks, chief of DEM’s Division of Forestry. “The concern, by far, is the safety of the citizens, the firefighters and forest rangers, as well as any damage to property.”
According to Sparks, debris burning is the most likely cause of brush fires at this time of year.
Residents wishing to burn brush outdoors are required to receive a permit from their local fire district, which is banned in some communities and limited in others to specific times and weather conditions, according to DEM.
According to the deputy chief for the Harrisville Fire Department, the weather conditions are currently unsafe for outdoor burning.
“Harrisville is not issuing any permits to burn brush right now,” said Gingell. “It’s dry right now and we don’t want sparks hitting the woods and creating brush fires.”
The Nasonville Fire Department is also not issuing burn permits at this time.
The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation officials recently asked local communities throughout the Commonwealth to cease issuing any open burning permits. 
Residents of Blackstone may still obtain a burning permit from the police department. However, police are reminding residents that state regulations currently forbid any open burning due to the dry weather.
The arid conditions are expected to continue until the middle of this week. A 20 percent chance of showers is expected on Wednesday night, according to the National Weather Service.
Local fire officials are also asking area residents with outdoor burning permits to be especially careful this season.
“If anyone does any outside burning, with a legal permit, they should always have a garden hose or water source nearby in case the fire gets out of control,” said Lt. Troy Phillips of the Oakland-Mapleville Fire Department. “We also ask people to keep the fire in a contained or confined area, such as an outside fireplace.”
Phillips also recommends that residents, who witness a brush fire, report it immediately to their local fire department or call 9-1-1.
According to the lieutenant, brush fires also start when residents attempt to burn leaves, which can blow away while still lit. It is illegal to burn leaves even with a permit, according to Phillips.