Under control
UP wildfire update
Trending
MARQUETTE -- Two of three major wildfires in the western Upper Peninsula are fully contained, and crews are working to secure the third northwest of Marquette, according to a Friday morning operational brief released by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
The Craig Lake Fire in Baraga County and the Black River Fire in Gogebic County were fully contained as of Friday morning, according to the DNR Incident Management Team. Operations remain concentrated on the Ridge Fire in Marquette County, which is 85 percent contained as of Friday morning, the DNR reported. While the Craig Lake and Black River fires were determined to have been caused by lightning, the cause of the 500-acre Ridge Fire remains under investigation.
According to Michigan Public Radio, the fires originated between October 5 and October 8. Gogebic, Baraga and Marquette counties were experiencing severe to exceptional drought conditions at the time, which delayed initial detection. The ignitions smoldered undetected in organic forest matter for several days before high winds and elevated temperatures caused the fires to breach the surface and spread through conifer, balsam and spruce stands.
DNR management report updates say the 600-acre Baraga County blaze, the 350-acre Gogebic County blaze and the Marquette County blaze were collectively designated as the “Rugged Terrain Complex” on October 16. A unified command structure has managed logistics, air support and 100 personnel across the impacted sites.
According to the Marquette County Sheriff's Office and Negaunee Township Emergency Management, the earlier expansion of the Ridge Fire near the Dead River Basin led emergency officials to implement the “Ready, Set, Go!” evacuation protocol for residents on North Basin Drive. Subsequent logs from state and federal land management authorities confirmed they implemented temporary flight restrictions and closed portions of Craig Lake State Park, the Teddy Lake Yurt, the North Country Trail and County Road 510 to protect ground crews.
While late-month winds expanded the Ridge Fire’s perimeter by 30 acres, the DNR says, containment lines successfully held the perimeter line. Rainfall over the past week has suppressed the remaining subterranean hot spots.
“Recent heavy rainfall has considerably helped extinguish deep pockets of hot spots,” DNR Upper Peninsula resource protection manager Keith Murphy said in a formal statement. “Upcoming weather, including a forecast with potential snow, will also help in containment.”
DNR personnel remain on-site patrolling the perimeter while state fire investigators work to determine the definitive cause of the Marquette County fire.