April 25, 2008
A wildfire that started Thursday afternoon just south of Grayling was nearly contained this morning by fire crews. The fire burned approximately 1,100 acres in the Four Mile Road area.
Personnel from the Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Forest
Service, many local volunteer fire departments, Michigan State Police, the National Guard, American Red Cross and Crawford County Sheriff's Department received help from Mother Nature in the form of precipitation late Thursday night to help with containment efforts. The origin of the fire is still under investigation.
"As long as Mother Nature cooperates today, we should see no
significant fire activity," said Scott Heather, DNR fire supervisor. "Today's weather is calling for cooler temperatures, little wind and higher humidity. Our crews will work on putting out hotspots and securing the line around the fire. We encourage Michigan citizens to remain cautious with outdoor fire."
Six structures in the Simpson Lakes area in Grayling Township were damaged by the fire, and DNR personnel were assessing the damage to the structures today. No injuries were reported.
Approximately 50 homes in the Karen Woods subdivision south of Grayling were evacuated Thursday afternoon as a precautionary measure. Residents were allowed to return to their homes this morning. I-75 was closed for a period Thursday due to heavy smoke over the expressway that limited visibility. All roads are open today. Motorists on I-75 today will likely still see some smoke over the roadway and should exercise caution
while traveling in the area.
The DNR lost one piece of equipment in the early stages of fighting the fire. A transport was burned while parked near the fire line. A transport is a tractor trailer used to deliver bulldozers to a fire line. The trailer portion of the transport was not damaged, but the tractor did burn. The transport was federal military surplus equipment, and had an approximate value of $82,000.
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