Dozens of fires still burn in US Northeast but California fire is under relative control

The Northeast kept a wary eye on dozens of fires that killed at least one person and continued to burn Tuesday amid bone-dry weather, while much larger and more destructive fires came under relative control in California.

Firefighters in Massachusetts worked to contain several fires as strong winds and drought conditions continued. The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning for much of the state and parts of Connecticut, saying conditions were critical and fires could rapidly spread.

Massachusetts officials said all of the 200 or so fires they have dealt with this month were caused by human behavior, and Gov. Maura Healey urged people to avoid lighting fires.

“Now is not the time to burn leaves. Now is not the time to go outside and light a fire,” she told reporters in Middleton.

Some firefighters have been injured, and one blaze near the New York-New Jersey border killed a parks employee over the weekend. The fire had grown to more than 7.5 square miles (20 square kilometers) and was 10% contained Tuesday afternoon.

No evacuations were ordered, though some people left voluntarily, and there was no immediate threat to property. Winds that are forecast as high as 25 mph (40 kph) are expected to dissipate Wednesday, officials said.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Tuesday announced fire restrictions that are in effect through the end of November. The ban prohibits bush fires used to dispose of debris and bonfires higher than 3 feet (1 meter). Contained campfires are still allowed in most of the state, though outdoor grilling has already been banned in New York City.

Most of the East Coast has seen little rainfall since September, and experts say the fires will persist until significant precipitation or frosts occur.

In California, firefighters made further progress against a blaze in Ventura County, northwest of Los Angeles, that broke out Wednesday and quickly exploded in size because of the dry Santa Ana winds. The blaze, dubbed the Mountain fire, was about half contained Tuesday.

The 32-square-mile (83-square-kilometer) fire is largely “buttoned up,” county Fire Chief Dustin Gardner said Monday evening. The fire forced thousands of residents to flee and destroyed more than 200 structures, most of them houses, and damaged more than 90, officials said. The cause is under investigation.

Residents returned to their homes in Nevada on Monday after a wind-whipped wildfire spread quickly south of Reno, destroying one home and damaging several other buildings. About 200 firefighters aided by light rain quelled flames near the main highway to Lake Tahoe.

Contributing to this report were Associated Press writers Cedar Attanasio in New York; Nick Perry in Meredith, New Hampshire; and Christopher Weber in Los Angeles.

In this handout photo provided by the Reno Fire Department, fire crews battle the Callahan Fire, which caused the evacuations of hundreds of homes southwest of Reno, Nev., Monday, Nov. 11, 2024. (Reno Fire Department via AP)

In this handout photo provided by the Reno Fire Department, fire crews battle the Callahan Fire, which caused the evacuations of hundreds of homes southwest of Reno, Nev., Monday, Nov. 11, 2024. (Reno Fire Department via AP)

This image provided by New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection shows the wildfire in Jennings Creek, N.J., Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024. (New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection via AP)

Smoke rises from a wildfire behind a row of lakefront properties in the town of Awosting, as seen from across Greenwood Lake, Lakeside, N.J., Monday, Nov. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)

Dozens of fires still burn in US Northeast but California fire is under relative control

Dozens of fires still burn in US Northeast but California fire is under relative control

This image provided by New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection shows the wildfire in Jennings Creek, N.J., Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024. (New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection via AP)

CETINJE, Montenegro (AP) — Shock and dismay prevailed in Montenegro on Thursday after a gunman fatally shot 12 people, including two children, in a western town before killing himself.

At least four others were wounded in the shooting rampage in Cetinje on Wednesday that followed a bar brawl, officials said. This was the second such incident in the town in the past three years.

Hundreds gathered on Thursday evening at the main square in Cetinje for a candlelight vigil in the memory of the victims.

Police Commissioner Lazar Šćepanović described Wednesday’s shooting as “one of the biggest tragedies in the history of Montenegro.”

He said at a news conference that the victims included seven men, three women and two children, born in 2011 and 2016.

“Most of the victims were people he knew, his closest friends and relatives,” including the shooter’s sister, Šćepanović said. “This criminal act wasn’t planned or organized. It was unpredictable.”

The shooter, identified as 45-year-old Aco Martinović, killed the owner of the bar, the bar owner's children and his own family members, officials have said.

The attacker, who first fled after the rampage, was later located and surrounded by police. He died after shooting himself in the head, police said.

Residents of Cetinje, a town of some 17,000 people, were stunned and grief-stricken.

"I knew all of these people personally, also the attacker. I think when he did that, he was out of his mind," said Vesko Milošević, a retiree from Cetnje. "What do I know, he went from place to place and killed people. Its a catastrophe.”

Vanja Popović, whose relatives are among the victims, said that “we are all in shock.”

“How can I feel after this?" Popović said. "No one expected it. You can’t even ask anyone anything.”

Police had dispatched a special unit to search for the attacker in the town, which is located about 30 kilometers (18 miles) northwest of Podgorica, the country's capital. All roads in and out of Cetinje were blocked for hours as police swarmed the streets.

Police said that the shooter had died while being taken to a hospital in the capital and succumbed from the “severity of his injuries.”

Officials have said that the attacker was at the bar throughout the day with other guests when the brawl erupted. He then went home, brought back a weapon and opened fire at around 5:30 p.m.

Prosecutor Andrijana Nastić said Thursday that the attacker went to six locations during the shooting rampage, including the last one, where he shot himself.

Four men were killed at the bar, she said. The shooter then moved on to another location where he killed four more people, and then two children at a third site. He then went on to kill two more people at two other locations before eventually shooting himself, Nastić said.

“Further investigation will determine the exact circumstances of the events,” she added.

The government has declared three days of national mourning starting on Thursday, and all planned New Year's festivities have been canceled throughout the country.

Prime Minister Milojko Spajić said that the government may try to impose a total ban on weapons “because we must ask ourselves after this who should be allowed to have guns in Montenegro.”

The small Adriatic Sea nation, which has a population of around 620,000 people, is known for its gun culture and many people traditionally have weapons.

In August 2022 in Cetinje, which is Montenegro’s historic capital, an attacker killed 10 people, including two children, before he was shot and killed by a passerby.

Police have said that the suspect in Wednesday's shooting received a suspended sentence in 2005 for violent behavior and had appealed his latest conviction for illegal weapons possession. Montenegrin media have reported that he was known for erratic and violent behavior.

“Instead of holiday joy ... we have been gripped by sadness over the loss of innocent lives,” Montenegro's President Jakov Milatović said in a post on X.

Associated Press writers Jovana Gec and Dušan Stojanović contributed to this report from Belgrade, Serbia.

A view of blood by the door of a bar after a shooting incident, in Cetinje, 36 kilometers (22 miles) west of Podogrica, Montenegro, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Risto Bozovic)

A police car outside a house after a shooting incident, in Cetinje, 36 kilometers (22 miles) west of Podogrica, Montenegro, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Risto Bozovic)

A view of a bar after a shooting incident, in Cetinje, 36 kilometers (22 miles) west of Podogrica, Montenegro, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Risto Bozovic)

A view of a police vehicle at the home of a gunman after a shooting incident, in Cetinje, 36 kilometers (22 miles) west of Podogrica, Montenegro, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Risto Bozovic)

A view of a police vehicle at the home of a gunman after a shooting incident, in Cetinje, 36 kilometers (22 miles) west of Podogrica, Montenegro, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Risto Bozovic)

Police officers stand guard at the home of a gunman after a shooting incident, in Cetinje, 36 kilometers (22 miles) west of Podogrica, Montenegro, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Risto Bozovic)

Police officers stand guard at the home of a gunman after a shooting incident, in Cetinje, 36 kilometers (22 miles) west of Podogrica, Montenegro, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Risto Bozovic)

A police officer stands guard at the scene after a shooting incident at a bar, in Cetinje, 36 kilometers (22 miles) west of Podogrica, Montenegro, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Risto Bozovic)

Rescue workers work at the site of a shooting in Cetinje, 36 kilometers (22 miles) west of Podogrica, Montenegro, Wednesday, Jan 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Risto Bozovic)

Police investigators work at the site of a shooting in Cetinje, 36 kilometers (22 miles) west of Podogrica, Montenegro, Wednesday, Jan 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Risto Bozovic)

Police investigators work at the site of a shooting in Cetinje, 36 kilometers (22 miles) west of Podogrica, Montenegro, Wednesday, Jan 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Risto Bozovic)