The brush fire that caused three houses to be evacuated in the early morning on Saturday seemed to have a sense of irony, as one of the

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. — The sight and smell of smoke continue to impact several North Shore communities as brush fires persist. On Saturday, firefighters in Middleton were preoccupied by a blaze that began Friday night near the power lines by Middleton Pond.

Crews from as far away as Maine are making the journey down to Massachusetts to help the state battle large brush fires.

The town is now one of a quickly growing list of communities in the state to battle severe brush fires caused by dry weather, warmer temperatures and high winds in recent days after a large fire broke out on Friday night,

The fire is continuing to burn across multiple acres near Boxford State Forest into Sunday evening, with police warning residents that they could see smokey conditions and that residents should avoid the Sharpner's Pond area.