CONDITIONS RIPE FOR WILDFIRE 'Four Corners Fire' consumes four houses; spans more than 200 acres

Jul. 11—COPEMISH — A wildfire that spanned more than 200 acres across the Wexford-Manistee County border was caused by a power line and exacerbated by high winds and dry weather, a Michigan Department of Natural Resources official said.

What exactly caused the power line to spark into a 225-acre fire is still under investigation, DNR spokesperson Beth Fults said.

As of 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, the fire was 95% contained and there are no known injuries or fatalities, she said.

Four houses were destroyed by the fire, Northwest Wexford Emergency Authority Fire Chief Michael Guernsey confirmed.

The DNR reported that 30 people were evacuated from their homes Monday, and road closures in the area ensured public safety.

"All evacuation orders have been lifted," DNR Resource Protection Manager Don Klingler said Tuesday.

The Four Corners Fire

Authorities first learned about the inferno Monday afternoon when a resident called Wexford County 911. That's when the fire started and spread north and east of West Eight Road and North One Road in Cleon Township, officials said. By the time they were dispatched at 3 p.m., the fire had already spread to about 20 acres.

"It is fueled by a mix of jack pine, red pine and hardwoods," Klingler said in a release. "Fire danger in the area was extreme Monday due to windy, dry, warm weather and because forests and fields are still dry due to a lack of rain this spring. Fire danger in the area remains high today."

According to Guernsey, their main goal was to try and stop the fire from jumping over the road as they worked to put it out. "It did jump one road — Eight Road — on us, but we contained it after that," he said.

Firefighters said they used planes, fire tank trucks and other trucks in the fight. And the DNR remained on the scene to put out any hotspots that might arise.

Guernsey estimated that there were approximately 18 local agencies that assisted on the scene.

Some of them included the Cadillac Police Department and the Manistee County Sheriff's Office, who both said they worked alongside other authorities to actively evacuate impacted areas.

The City of Frankfort Fire and Rescue also said in a statement they temporarily covered Benzonia and Homestead townships while their departments fought the wildfire.

Grand Traverse 911 confirmed high winds brought a "significant amount" of smoke from the blaze into Grand Traverse County on Monday night.

How weather is affecting local wildfire season

Given the weather forecast for the next couple of days, Chief Guernsey is urging residents to "not burn stuff if they don't have to, and preferably not burning at all until we get some significant rain or snowfall."

Despite the sprinkle of rain that fell late Monday night into early Tuesday morning, he said it wasn't enough to quell any leftover hotspots.

"It would be nice to have a couple inches of rain over a two- to three-day period," he said. "We need a nice, gentle soaker."

That sentiment was echoed by DNR fire expert Jeff Vasher, who said part of his job is to direct resources to wildfires in the state, as well as study them.

"We went so long with no rain, so the fields are really dry right now," he said. "So, it doesn't take much to get it going."

Part of the reason the fire spread so much was because of the high winds. "It just took off," he said. "That's why it burnt like it did."

Monday's fire, which officials have named the Four Corners fire, is the second large wildfire to hit lower Northern Michigan this summer.

On June 3, the Wilderness Trail Fire in Grayling burned through more than 2,400 acres.

Based on Vasher's calculations, he said this summer has the worst conditions he or his colleagues have seen in more than 30 years.

"We're at record levels this year," he said. "We're so dry, we're in drought conditions. It's pretty bad for Michigan."

His team defines a drought for their data collection based on how much moisture is in the ground, and what those levels are.

A standard drought, based on those metrics, is in the 300 level. This year, Vasher said, that number has already surpassed 500.

"If there's an ignition source for a fire, it'll get going real easy because it's so dry," he said.

With both wildfires, Vasher said the DNR's main concern was about "mop up," or making sure all of the hotspots are fully extinguished before sending crews home.

For the Four Corners Fire, he estimates crews could be out monitoring hotspots for at least another three to four weeks if there is no significant rain.

Even if there was a lot of concentrated rain, Vasher said, within three to four days the fire risk would escalate again because of how dry the base layer is.

In 2023, there have been four fires over 100 acres in Michigan.

"For Michigan, that's pretty rare," he said. "You don't ever see that."

Looking ahead, Vasher said the best way to prevent wildfires is to always obtain a burn permit and make sure campfires are fully extinguished with water.

"That's what we see a lot this year is people don't put their campfires out," he said. "Make sure they're fully out because that't a big part of it.

"Ninety percent of our fires are human-caused."