Blue Lakes Wildfire Now 98 Percent Contained
Photo Courtesy: Michigan DNR
The Blue Lakes wildfire is almost fully under control with 98 percent of it being contained.
All roads in the area of the fire have been reopened as well as the remaining portion of black river. Those looking to visit the area are urged to take caution as some trees may look fine on the outside but could fall over at any moment.
Before Saturday’s storm, much of the area had been experiencing high fire danger which played a huge part in how far and fast the fire spread. “It was a lightning strike that we believe hit on May 11 when there were some lightning storms in the area,” said Kerry Heckman, public information officer for the Michigan DNR. “It likely smoldered in the tree for a couple of days until the point it could reach some dry fuels and then took off as a wildfire.
Jack Pine trees, which are found throughout the burnt area, were a major fuel for the fire but are expected to come back. “Jack Pine is a type of species that actually thrives on fire to reproduce,” said Heckman. “So it will pop the cones open and there will be some natural reproduction of the trees as a result.”
The final estimate for the total size of the fire is 2,516 acres.
