Thousands head to Salem for Halloween despite brush fires

SALEM – Thousands of people descended upon Salem for Halloween on Thursday, and despite the slight smell of smoke in the air from nearby brush fires, authorities say it is a safe place to celebrate the spooky holiday. 
“Salem is the place to be. There’s no question about it, it is the haunted happenings. Everything about Salem is the place to be,” a headless horseman said to WBZ-TV.
Halloween is a historic tradition in the city, which was the site of the Salem Witch Trials in 1692. Now people from across the world travel to celebrate here.
“I wanted to dress up and be a witch,” says Linda Valdez from New Mexico.  
“I’m very excited because we’re also going to the witch museum later,” says Jade Barnes, dressed as Cruella Deville. Jade and her family flew all the way from Texas to celebrate, and not on a broomstick. 
“Every year we try to do something special with the kids. Last year we went to Mexico for the Day of the Dead and this year we decided to come to the capital of Halloween,” Jeronimo Camacho from Puerto Rico said.
Holly Garcia has a soft spot for people visiting her haunted hometown.
“You gotta at least experience it once in your life,” says Garcia.
“Everyone that comes here is amazing. You can express yourself the way you want with the costume you want and no one is here to judge you,” said a man dressed as a cat running for mayor. 
The destination experienced record-breaking crowds in 2023, and will likely see around one million visitors by the end of 2024. Salem’s Mayor Dominic Pangallo urged tourists to take public transit to the city in the hope of relieving some of the traffic headaches for nearby towns.
“If you are planning to come to Salem come by train, come by ferry,” he said.
Some residents and businesses don’t mind the big crowds.
“I love the customers. I love the atmosphere. I love the business. We are busting our butts, working hard,” says Garcia, an employee at Fountain Place Restaurant.
Salem police were prepared for the large crowds on Halloween with extra officers on duty. 
“One other thing we are very concerned with is drunk driving. Last year and the year before we had some drunk driving incidents including a bad accident so we will have extra patrols,” Salem Police Chief Lucas Miller said.
Miller implored visitors that if they “see something, say something,” but most importantly to have fun.
Over 100 acres in Salem have been burned due to brush fires over the past week. Firefighters said that they currently have a handle on the hotspots and that the fires are under control for now. Town officials are encouraging people to still come to the city to celebrate, wearing their favorite costumes.
Temperatures are expected to reach nearly 80 degrees on Thursday and firefighters will continue to monitor the nearby brush fires.