Late in October of 2024, hundreds of fires were scattered across Connecticut, including the Hawthorne Drive Fire, which engulfed about 130 acres of land in Berlin and Meriden. As a result, the governor declared a state of emergency.
The conditions were ideal after a dry summer that transitioned into a warm, dry autumn. Unfortunately, this is an increasingly common situation that is leading to more Connecticut wildfires, or โbrush firesโ as they are called locally.
To help raise awareness, UConn Fire Department (UCFD) Fire Chief Christopher Renshaw โ01 (CAHNR), โ07 MS, and UConn Extension and Center for Land Use Education and Research (CLEAR) Extension Educator Emily Wilson collaborated to create a tool, the CT Wildland-Urban Interface/Intermix Viewer, to visualize and educate planners, firefighters, and residents in Connecticut to aid in preparing for future wildfires.
