WILDERNESS TRAIL FIRE: Cause of Crawford County blaze identified as private campfire

Jun. 4—GRAYLING — The source of the Wilderness Trail Fire in Crawford County south of Grayling was identified by authorities as a campfire on private property.

The fire was 90 percent contained by 7 p.m. Sunday after a 10-person fire crew from Wisconsin joined the suppression effort by Michigan Department of Natural Resources and cooperating agencies.

The Wisconsin team added three Type 4 engines with tractor plow dozers, and two Type 6 engines to the effort by way of the Great Lakes Forest Fire Compact agreement between Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan, and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Manitoba.

Preliminary estimates from the DNR showed that the fire destroyed three outbuildings, and threatened 35 residences, 38 vehicles including 23 campers and three boats and 58 outbuildings, as of Sunday evening.

Earlier Sunday, the DNR reported the fire was 85 percent contained, but revised it to 65 percent after more accurate mapping of the fire area, said media contact Laurie Abel.

"The crews were working in hilly, sandy terrain and that was difficult," said Mike Janisse, incident commander of the Michigan DNR Incident Management Team supporting the firefighting. "Weather conditions also were hot, dry and windy."

The fire burned through about 2,400 acres of jack pine, mixed pines and oak, although that estimate could change, Abel said.

Four airbus water planes and two water helicopters from the DNR and the Michigan State Police were used to fight the fire, as well as ground support that plowed a trench around it, she said.

"The trench creates a break around the fire and disrupts the flow of the fire," Abel said.

Fire danger has been very high to extreme in most parts of Michigan, and that is expected to continue with current hot, dry weather conditions. Burn permits for yard debris are not being granted at this time and people should not burn until the area gets significant rain.

"We are trying to get the fire under control so we can hand it over to local firefighters," Abel said. "We fight the fire we have and we're getting ready to fight the fire we don't yet have."

Abel said the incident management team does not deal with possible charges that could stem from the cause of the fire. "We leave that up to fire investigators and law enforcement," she said. "That's not something we dig into."

Authorities reported the fire started about 1 p.m. Saturday near Staley Lake in Grayling Township. Several people had to be evacuated from their homes to the Beaver Creek Township Hall. They were allowed to return to their homes late Saturday, although several local roads remained closed on Sunday.

No injuries were reported, Abel said.

The fire also forced closure of I-75 because of the poor visibility from the smoke that also created a haze over Traverse City.

The expressway was reopened at about midnight on Saturday, although there was still heavy smoke in the area and drivers were being asked to use caution.

A flight restriction remains in place for a 5-mile perimeter around the fire at heights below 5,000 feet.

On Saturday, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced she was activating the State Emergency Operations Center in response to the Crawford County fire and a forest fire over 250 acres to 300 acres in Iosco County.

"By taking this action, we can ensure state and local first responders have what they need to get this fire contained and prevent loss of life or property. I want to thank the first responders who have been working to keep Michiganders safe," Whitmer said.

Bridge Michigan reported last week on the occurrence of more than three dozen fires in northern Michigan.

National Weather Service data indicates that the last day of rain in the Grayling area was nearly a month ago, May 7.

May's rainfall was more than an inch below normal in much of the state, while temperatures have been in the upper 80s for the past several days. Federal meteorologists warn of an increased risk of drought in much of the Midwest this summer.

"Drought indices really have never been this high in the month of May," said Paul Rogers, a state DNR fire prevention specialist. "We're probably running about double the number of fires we normally have just because it's so dry."

Bridge Michigan contributed to this report.