Dry conditions spark fire concerns in state | News, sports, jobs

Courtesy Image Unusually dry weather and an extended summer season with a rapid burst of fall colors and annual leaf fall have contributed to increased fire danger across the northern Lower Peninsula. Residents and forest visitors are asked to monitor their outdoor activities and ensure that forest fires do not start.

CADILLAC – A lack of adequate rainfall, unseasonably warmer days and competing demands for available resources across the country have prompted fire officials to deploy aerial firefighting resources in the Great Lakes region to provide a quicker response to reports of wildfires to enable.

Currently, Inciweb, a multi-agency, all-risk incident information management system designed to provide the public with a single source of incident-related information, is reporting two wildfires in the Upper Peninsula that are actively burning on federal public lands. The Summit Lake fire in the Ottawa National Forest, 24 miles southeast of Ishpeming, is burning in wood with moderate fire behavior, while the Lard Lake fire in the Hiawatha National Forest, just nine miles southeast of Munising, is burning in wood and active flare behavior shows .

As of midnight Tuesday, both fires reported that over 200 acres had burned.

The causes of the fires still need to be investigated.

Three AT-802F amphibious single-engine air tankers, also known as Fire Bosses, located centrally in the Great Lakes, provided aerial assistance to the Summit and Lard Lake fires and assisted ground firefighting units in controlling the forward movement of the wildfires dampen. Further assistance to a Michigan Department of Natural Resources wildfire in Deerton, west of Munising, increased the total air response effort to 48,000 gallons over the course of 60 water drops.

In this U.S. Forest Service photo by Chad Runyan, firefighting aircraft taxi down the runway at Marquette/Sawyer Regional Airport on Tuesday en route to the Summit Fire in the Ottawa National Forest, 24 miles southeast of Ishpeming.

“Wildfire conditions in the Huron-Manistee National Forests require that residents and forest visitors remain vigilant in their preventive measures to prevent a wildfire from starting,” said Fire Marshal Matthew Way. “Given the high and very high indices throughout the Northern Lower Peninsula, monitoring the Michigan Department of Natural Resources fire permit map and fire weather forecast at Great Lakes Fire and Fuels would be a great benefit to anyone wanting to engage in any type of outdoor activity could potentially lead to a forest fire.”

Way reported that the initial resource attack response from the Huron-Manistee National Forest began to increase, raising concerns that complacency at this time of year could be contributing to the increase.

Way noted that recent rains were not enough to offset the fire threat in the Huron-Manistee National Forest operational area.

Fall recreational activities such as hunting, camping, and off-road vehicle use increase the risk of a human-caused wildfire from a vehicle backfiring, an abandoned campfire, or even parking on dry vegetation.

Preparing your property for the potential impacts of an impending wildfire through mitigation measures is as easy as fall cleanup.

Residents are encouraged to take mitigation measures such as: Such as reducing fuel pollution on their property, cleaning gutters so they are free of combustible debris, and taking the time to inspect fire pits on their properties for maintenance, including removing debris 10 feet outside of the pit and 20 feet above the head.

A better use of garden waste and debris during this dry period would be composting, shredding and even creating wildlife habitats for small mammals to overwinter.

“Home hardening techniques such as cleaning gutters, removing dead vegetation from the foundations of buildings and homes, and keeping the area under decks clear of flammable materials and gasoline cans will help reduce a building/house fire in the event of a wildfire.” Way noted .

Pay particular attention to the roof of any building, home or outbuilding, which can be a key ignition point in a wildfire.

It was made clear to the public that when conducting suppression efforts, staying away from the area and refraining from using drones will result in smoother operations and create a safer environment for rapid intervention by air assets.

“If you fly, we can’t,” Way explained.

Aerial suppression is an effective way to initiate firefighting efforts before ground resources can arrive and often continues to assist firefighters by providing aerial observation of critical fire behavior and forward movement.

To learn more about how to secure your home or reduce the risk of wildfires on your property, visit the Huron-Manistee National Forests Fire Management website.