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October 19, 2026
With 50% of the Ridge Fire contained, residents can breathe a little easier
After a week of living under the “Ready, Set, Go!” protocol for potential evacuations initiated in response to the Ridge Fire, located 10 miles northwest of Marquette, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Marquette County Sheriff’s Office and Emergency Management have lifted the “Ready” status for residents along North Basin Drive.
The recent rain and cooler weather provided an opportunity for firefighters to make great progress establishing containment lines to prevent the fire from spreading toward the residential structures. Additionally, as more accurate data was gathered, including a drone flight over the Ridge Fire that collected infrared data to pinpoint the fire hot spots, incident management was able to reassess the management access points for each stage of the “Ready, Set, Go!” protocol. This analysis, along with fire behavior predictions for the coming days, helped to inform the decision to lift the “Ready” status.
“Thanks to the hard work of the fire crews out on the line and the information that we were able to gather through various tools like the infrared drone flight, we’re happy to be able to lift the ‘Ready’ status for area residents,” said Nate Stearns, Rugged Terrain Complex incident commander. “Although we do not anticipate the need to reactivate the evacuation protocol, we will continue to monitor the fire activity along each of the management action points and will act if necessary. Public and firefighter safety are our top priorities.”
The Ridge Fire estimate remains at 466 acres with 50% containment. The Ridge Fire is located 10 miles northwest of Marquette and north of the Dead River Basin and west of County Road 510. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. The Noquemanon Trail system west of the trailhead on County Road 510 remains closed.
The Craig Lake Fire is estimated at 606 acres and is 90% contained. The cause of this fire has been confirmed as a lightning strike. Craig Lake State Park north of Craig Lake proper and the Teddy Lake Yurt remain closed through the end of October to ensure the safety of the public as wildfire suppression efforts continue.
The North Country Trail within Craig Lake State Park also remains closed.
The remainder of Craig Lake State Park is open to the public.
The Black River Fire, at approximately 350 acres, is 70% contained. A lightning strike is the confirmed cause of this fire. The public should continue avoiding the area to protect everyone’s safety and to avoid interfering in fire suppression operations.
A total of 73 firefighters continue to work on the three fires managed under the Rugged Terrain Complex today. A DNR Incident Management Team is managing the complex. Additional support is being provided by the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Forest Service Law Enforcement, Marquette National Weather Service, Michigan State Police, Marquette County Sheriff’s Office and Emergency Management, Gogebic County Sheriff’s Office, Gogebic County Emergency Management, Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, Bay Mills Indian Community, Michigamme-Spurr Fire Department, Bessemer Township Fire Department, Wakefield City Fire Department and DNR Law Enforcement Division.
As always, the DNR reminds people to check Michigan.gov/BurnPermit before planning to burn yard debris or start a campfire, and to have an accessible water source nearby. For more fire safety tips, visit Michigan.gov/PreventWildfires.
Note to editors: An accompanying DNR map is available below for download. Caption information follows.
Contact: Kerry Heckman, 517-643-1256 or Beth Fults, 517-282-5985
As fire crews on the ground battle to suppress and contain the Rugged Terrain Complex wildfires in the Upper Peninsula, officials have confirmed that a lightning strike was the cause of the Black River Fire. This was also the confirmed cause of the Craig Lake Fire; the cause of the Ridge Fire remains under investigation.
Like most things, wildfires don’t always look like they do in the movies. Even at hundreds of acres each (just over 1,400 acres combined), the three fires that make up the Rugged Terrain Complex aren’t currently burning through the trees of the Upper Peninsula forests. They are burning up to 2 feet down in the duff, a layer of organic material lying under freshly fallen leaves and twigs and above the bare mineral soil.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is now managing the three major U.P. wildfires – Ridge Fire, Craig Lake Fire and Black River Fire – as the Rugged Terrain Complex. One incident management team managing all three fires, known as a “complex,” allows for better coordination, logistical support, more streamlined communication and better efficiency.
Adjusting daily possession limits to allow for harvesting smaller fish in select lakes and removing an unnecessary spawning closure are part of updated northern pike regulations now in effect following Michigan Natural Resources Commission action earlier this week.
From decades-long careers dedicated to public stewardship and introducing people to outdoor recreation and nature to innovative partnerships that bring natural science into Michigan classrooms, Michigan Department of Natural Resources education efforts are making a difference – and being recognized.
Sixty-five Michigan Department of Natural Resources firefighters continued suppression efforts Thursday on the Ridge and Craig Lake fires, but the dangers they faced weren’t just the fires. Rough terrain, falling trees, slippery rocks, and rutted roads sometimes so muddy they are impassible, are just some of the unique hazards the crews are facing daily.
A new method for tagging stocked walleye, called parentage-based tagging, is more effective and cost-efficient than traditional approaches and will help fisheries managers better understand how stocking is or isn’t affecting the walleye populations in key lakes. It’s kind of like Ancestry.com or 23andMe for fish.
While you’re enjoying time outdoors this fall and winter, keep an eye open for black bear dens. Reporting den locations to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources is a simple yet effective way to support bear management programs.
Fire crews from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources continued battling the rugged terrain and difficult access of the Ridge Fire and Craig Lake Fire Wednesday, making containment progress on both.
