Officials with the Huron-Manistee National Forest expect heightened fire danger in northern Michigan through Friday. This weekend alone the Forest Service responded to 11 fires, including one in Alcona that burned 470 acres.
“This year has been a much more dangerous fire season,” says Ken Arbogast, public affairs officer for the Huron-Manistee National Forest.
Nearly 95 percent of fires are caused by humans, usually accidents from things like spring cleanup and burning debris.
The region saw lower snowfall this winter and the spring hasn’t brought much rain.
“Some areas may have experienced rain yesterday,” he says. “But it wasn’t enough to really saturate the groundcover.”
We’re not quite halfway through the spring wildfire season in northern Michigan, and Arbogast says the Forest Service has already responded to twice the number of fire starts as they did all last spring.
He says nearly 95 percent of fires are caused by humans, usually accidents resulting from things like spring cleanup and burning debris.
By law, the person who starts a blaze is responsible for paying for it. Click here to see if the state Department of Natural Resources is issuing burn permits in your area.