A rash of small roadside fires ignited by discarded cigarettes and a six-acre brush fire requiring crews from five towns have local fire departments braced for more of the same as the region heads further into this warm, dry spring.

“People need to be extremely careful because it’s very dry out,” said Rochester Town Administrator Richard LaCamera. “In the past five years that I’ve been here, I don’t think it’s been this extreme. Not much rain and no snow certainly doesn’t help the situation.”

On Saturday, April 14 Fire Departments from Marion, Mattapoisett, Rochester, Wareham and Lakeville responded to a six-acre brush fire that broke out in Mattapoisett along Wolf Island Road and Long Plain Road.

The fire was reported to officials by nearby campers and local residents.

Firefighters were able to put out the perimeter of the fire in 45 minutes, but to fully extinguish the flames took nearly four hours, said Mattapoisett Fire Department Chief Andrew Murray.

There were no injuries and no homes were damaged.

While the Mattapoisett Fire Department is investigating the cause, Murray said this is the type of incident that can happen easily due to the weather.

A lack of rain and strong coastal winds dries out the ground increasing the potential of brush fires, he said.

Even smokers need to be cautious, he said.

The Mattapoisett Fire Department has responded to several fires near local roadsides caused by people throwing their cigarette butts out of their car window.

Murray asks residents to make sure that they properly dispose of their cigarettes.

Bill Simpson, Meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Taunton, said the South Coast area has averaged 0.28 inches of rain for the month of April.

This, he said, is only 15 percent of the normal average for this time of year, which is 2.65 inches.

Now that winter is over, many residents are clearing their backyards of fallen brush with open-air burning, Murray said.

Outdoor burning may be a controlled brush fire, but residents must obtain a permit and permission from their local fire department before they can light the first match.

The state mandates burning season to run from January 15 through May 1, but whether or not burning will be permitted each day, is decided by the town officials.

Under state laws, burning must be done between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., and must be held at least 75 feet from nearby buildings.

Officials base their decision entirely on the weather.

A gust of wind and burning debris could spark a wildfire, Murray said.

“Between the abnormal temperatures, the lack of humidity and the right amount of breeze, it’s a recipe for uncontrolled brush fires,” Murray said.

“You have to be careful because it spreads so rapidly. You have to keep tabs on it.”

Murray said the department will sometimes issue a “Red Flag Warning,” alerting residents to the dangerous weather conditions.

With “abnormal” temperatures over the past few months, Murray said the department has allowed open air burning but reminds residents to be extremely careful.

“There’s always a high-risk for brush fires under these conditions,” Murray said.

The best thing to do before burning, Murray said, is to water down the area around the fire to prevent spreading and to use “copious amounts of water” after burning to put out the flames.

With a long summer ahead of us, and hopefully, more rain, Murray said being cautious is really just using common sense.

“You can have a good time, but you have to be safe about it,” he said. “You don’t want things to get out of control.”

For fire safety tips, be sure to click on the pdf