The 100 block of Fifth Street in Calumet has been left in ruins since a May 22 fire destroyed most of the block. The village announced yesterday that it is working with local, state and federal officials to coordinate cleaning up the block.

CALUMET — Calumet Village is working with local, state and federal authorities to coordinate cleanup of the 100 of block of Fifth Street after a May 22, 2021 fire destroyed three of the buildings on that block.

In an August 10 release, Council Trustee Elise Matz said that the village is working closely with the nvironmental Protection Agency, Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy, Calumet Township, and Houghton County on a plan to clean up the 5th Street fire debris.

“The EPA’s Emergency Response Branch is working with the agency’s Chicago and Washington offices to secure funding,” Matz said in the statement. “If EPA receives funding, cleanup could begin this fall, otherwise it would happen in the spring.”

In the meantime, the public should continue to avoid contact with the debris, or the site, as there is a presence of both pysical hazards, as well as materials such as asbestos.

“We will share more information with residents about funding,” said Matz, “and the timeline in the coming weeks.”

At last report, the Houghton County Sheriff’s Office had not yet received information from the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), which investigated the fire scene.

Village Manager, Caleb Katz, said on Monday, May 24, that the state Fire Marshall was on the scene on the morning after the blaze and had conducted his investigation into the cause of the fire. He added that agents with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has also inspected the scene and is conducting its own investigation, but there is only speculation on why that agency is involved at this point.