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The Blue Lakes Fire in the northeastern Lower Peninsula is now 98% contained. As a result, all road closures in the fire area have been lifted. The stretch of the Black River that was previously closed has also been opened.
However, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources still is working to connect remaining gaps in the containment line and mop up within the fire area, which is northwest of Atlanta and spans Montmorency and Cheboygan counties. People who enter the area are urged to be cautious.
“If you are in the area, stay on roads,” said Kerry Heckman, DNR fire public information officer. “There may be hot spots or snags, which are trees that can fall over without warning. There may be smoke, and fire crews will still be working in the area.” Seeing smoke within the fire area is not necessarily cause for alarm and is to be expected.
The final estimate of the fire’s size is 2,516 acres. Estimates can change throughout the course of the fire based on input from fire crews on the ground and high-tech tools such as drones, which were used Monday.
A total of 28 DNR firefighters and two emergency medical technicians are on fire duty today, including sawyers cutting down dangerous trees and hand crews working on fire cleanup, as well as a 15-member incident management team and one DNR conservation officer.
Equipment in use includes four engines, one tractor plow and five utility terrain vehicles with water. Those assisting the DNR include Tri-Township EMS and Montmorency County Emergency Management.
The fire, reported at 12:40 p.m. Friday, was caused by a May 11 lightning strike which smoldered for several days before igniting nearby fuels such as leaves, grass and brush.
There is increased fire danger in northern Michigan. Due to increased fire risk, the DNR has not been conducting prescribed burns and has not been issuing burn permits. Before any burning, check Michigan.gov/BurnPermit and get fire safety tips at Michigan.gov/PreventWildfires.