Wildfires in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula have expanded in recent days due to high winds.
Now, a fire in the Marquette area spans nearly 500 acres of forest land. Officials from the Department of Natural Resources say there are two smaller fires they are also working to put out.
Much of the UP is experiencing severe and extreme drought conditions, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
Paul Rogers, a fire specialist with Michigan’s DNR says continued drought conditions and plenty of dead leaves make the fires even harder to extinguish.
“They're burning two to three feet down into the ground because it's so dry,” Rogers said. “All of the organic materials ... they burn down into the soil.”
Dead tree roots that go farther into the soil are also fuel for the fires, according to Rogers.
He said the fires are also in harder-to-reach places with rough terrain that can’t be accessed by vehicles. Because the fires are burning deep, using helicopters to stop the fire isn’t applicable.
“It's just [going] to continue until we get some really wet snow or some decent rains.” Rogers said. “That’s going to be quite a while before they're out.”
Nick Langlieb, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Marquette said there’s very little chance for substantial precipitation in coming weeks.
“Through this weekend, it looks like we're mainly going to have dry weather. There could be a few light showers,” Langlieb said. “And we're actually expecting it to warm back up too.”
DNR officials say they are continuing to monitor the situation from the air and on the ground.
The DNR urges Michiganders to check their website before to burning yard debris or starting a campfire. Rogers said having water nearby when starting a fire is always best practice.
He's also reminding residents to make sure a fire is completely out before leaving it unattended.
WCMU's Rural Life and Agriculture reporting is made possible through the generous support of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
