Page 12 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, AUGUST 26, 2022 Breakheart’s Burning Fires spoil the fi nal week of summer vacation at Saugus state park; 79 acres catch fi re By Mark E. Vogler S augus Deputy Fire Chief Thomas D’Eon said he can’t remember having to battle a worse fi re than the one that’s been burning acres of forest land at Breakheart Reservation for more than a week. “I have no idea when we’ll be reopening because it’s going to take a lot of post-recovery work to remove or take care of the many trees that have been damaged,” Deputy Chief D’Eon said this week as he took a break to reflect on the challenges of fighting the fire, which has already burned about 79 acres and damaged hundreds of trees. “Until we get substantial precipitation to soak down into the ground and root system, this could hang on for weeks or months,” he said. Firefighters and forest rangers are particularly conLaw Offices of Terrence W. Kennedy 512 Broadway, Everett • Criminal Defense • Personal Injury • Medical Malpractice Tel: (617) 387-9809 Cell: (617) 308-8178 twkennedylaw@gmail.com OUR OFFICE HAS MOVED TO 519 BROADWAY, EVERETT SABATINO INSURANCE AGENCY 519 BROADWAY EVERETT, MA 02149 PHONE: (617) 387-7466 FAX: (617) 381-9186 Visit us online at: Rocco Longo, Owner WWW.SABATINO-INS.COM BACK TO SCHOOL | FROM PAGE 3 early childhood education and build early literacy and numeracy skills will have a profound impact on this district and on the readiness of our students,” Mondello said this week in a message he left on the district website for parents. “At the VELC, we will work relentlessly to create a culture of success by focusing on an alignment of practice, focusing on standards, monitoring student understanding and ensuring we are appropriately assessing our student’s [sic] progress. Most importantly, we always work to foster a sense of belonging and a place where everyone can and will succeed by creating a learning environment that is responsive to the whole child,” he said. The Belmonte STEAM Academy New Belmonte STEAM Academy Principal Dr. Rebecca Long, who begins her first year at Saugus Public Schools, says she’s thrilled that a music program will be offered to the students – after the superintendent’s office received feedback from parents that they want their children to receive musical education. There was no music program offered at the academy last year for students in grades two through five. “Something I’m most excited about is enhancing STEAM Academy opportunities for students. “I’m excited to build a new culture in the building,” Dr. Long said. cerned about the dangers of falling trees in cases where the root system can no longer support the trees. “When you get these burned-out trees that are falling, it can be really dangerous,” D’Eon said. At least twice this week – Sunday (Aug. 21) and Wednesday (Aug. 24) – a Massachusetts Air National Guard helicopter helped out by scooping up water from a nearby lake and dropping it Saugus Deputy Fire Chief Thomas D’Eon gets ready to enter the fi refi ghting command station set up at Breakheart Reservation. He was one of the chief commanders presiding over fi refi ghting eff orts this week. (Saugus Advocate photo by Mark E. Vogler) into a fire zone. The National Guard helicopter used buckets of 450 gallons and 600 gallons to carry the water to the fires. Meanwhile, crews of 50 to 75 firefighters worked on the ground at any one time, with handheld hoses, trying to douse the fires.
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