Controlled Burn Planned For Dutch Island

JAMESTOWN, RI — Don't be alarmed if you see or smell smoke coming off the water near Jamestown and North Kingstown. The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management will conduct a controlled burn on Dutch Island Tuesday.

The small, uninhabited island is designated as a state management area.

Controlled burns are smaller than wildfires, DEM said, and the smoke is not expected to be thick or billowing. Many residents in the surrounding areas may only smell the smoke. Residents are asked not to approach the island while the burn is underway or call emergency services if they

The burn will be supervised by the DEM's Divisions of Fish and Wildlife and Agriculture and Forest Environment. Local wildland firefighters will use the burn as a training exercise, keeping the flames to two to four feet.