Get to know the firefighters who are fighting forest fires across the country.

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There were at least 186 wildfires in Massachusetts in October alone.

As wildfires broke out across Massachusetts in recent days, firefighters worked around the clock to put out the flames.

In an average year, fewer than 20 wildfires are reported in Massachusetts in October, state Fire Department spokesman Jake Wark told Boston.com.

This October, the state had at least 186.

“This is a staggering increase, especially considering that the usual fire season is in the spring, March through May,” Wark said.

“These fires are going to burn emissions, and that's what creates difficult control problems for firefighters trying to suppress them,” Dave Celino, the chief fire warden for the state Department of Conservation and Recreation, told Boston.com. “That’s why we’re going to see incidents of longer duration.”

According to a DCR briefing, there were nine active wildfires in Massachusetts as of Wednesday evening – in Salem, Middleton, Canton, Devens, Wilmington, Holden and North Andover.

The fire service said the state was at an increased risk of bushfires. As of Wednesday evening, 120 wildfires totaling about 450 acres had been reported across Massachusetts in recent days, Wark said.

“Physically demanding”

Even after taking two showers, Salem Fire Department Lt. Ryan Riley said he was feeling overwhelmed after his work in the field fighting the wildfires in Salem that burned over 400 acres this week – so large that many people were on the other side of the fire burned – still “smelled like a fireplace.” The region reported smelling the smoke.

“Wildfires are extremely dangerous, and if you don't keep your head on your toes, you can quickly find yourself in a very dangerous situation,” he told Boston.com. “The fire spreads both over our heads and under our feet without even a warning.”

Riley said fighting a wildfire was both “physically and mentally” challenging for a team of structural firefighters used to putting out structure fires.

“It’s a different ball game out there,” he said.

The equipment firefighters wear weighs between 50 and 175 pounds, Riley said.

“It's physically demanding out there in our bunker gear because it's meant to protect us from the heat inside buildings, not necessarily good for trudging through the leaves and undergrowth of the forests,” he said.

Encounter with fire

Salem firefighter Sean Hebert said wildfires tend to “move quickly.”

“The fire could be higher than you,” he told Boston.com. “It’s a pretty wild site.”

To stop the fire, crews will have to shoot water into the ground at a rate of 100 gallons per minute to excavate the fire, Saugus Fire Department Capt. Billy Cross told Boston.com.

“There is no easy or clean way to do this,” he said. “It’s just real dirty work.”

Beverly Fire Chief Peter O'Connor described the work as “frustrating” at times.

“The fire burns underground, and if you take a piece out, it will appear maybe 30 meters away,” he told Boston.com. “But part of the job is you just have to get it done.”

Wark said weather conditions played a “significant role” in this week’s fire activity.

“It's fall, dead leaves and vegetation provide a significant amount of soil fuel,” he said. “We had an unusually dry season with very little rainfall, so these fuels are very susceptible to ignition.”

Recent high temperatures, low humidity and windy conditions have all contributed to the increased fire danger, Wark said. Almost all outdoor fires are caused by human activities such as outdoor cooking, unattended campfires, or electrical appliances that can ignite dry vegetation.

Long hours

Many of Salem's firefighters worked extra hours throughout the week, Hebert said.

Firefighters in Salem are typically on duty 24 hours a day and then 24 hours off.

Hebert said he worked another 14 hours – meaning he worked 38 hours straight.

“There’s not a lot of sleep in the firehouse anyway,” said Riley, who is also president of the Salem Massachusetts Firefighters Local 172 union. “We had a lot of people who went above and beyond.”

Many responders from outside the communities came to support the effort at urgently needed locations in addition to their normal duty hours, said O'Connor, the Beverly chief.

“It's a lot for someone to do, especially when you're traveling for an hour in the morning, traveling for an hour in the evening to get home, and then coming back early the next morning to do it again,” said he.

O'Connor said most firefighters “worked for hours.”

“It's dirty, they're tired, they're hungry, they just want to rest,” he said. “But they know the mission is to put out the fire.”

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Lindsay Shachnow covers general assignment news for Boston.com, covering breaking news, crime and politics across New England.

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