AMHERST — As crews continued to battle a wildfire in central Connecticut that contributed to the death of a firefighter Monday, the National Weather Service issued a notice Wednesday morning saying Massachusetts was under “heightened fire concerns.”

Dry conditions have raised concerns about possible wildfires across the region, from southern Vermont to northern Rhode Island, and authorities say they are taking proactive measures to limit risks and ensure public safety.

On Wednesday, Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont ordered the U.S. and state flags there lowered to half-staff in honor of Robert Sharkevich Sr., a member of the Wethersfield Volunteer Fire Department, who died after his utility vehicle rolled over him while he was driving on the traprock ridge known as Lamentation Mountain in Berlin, Connecticut. He was 66.