News File Photo The entrance to Decorative Panels International in Alpena is seen in this June 2022 News archive photo.

ALPENA — The remnants of a fire at Decorative Panels International in Alpena on Friday is leaving a haze of smoke in the air in parts of the city.

Fire officials say because of the nature of the fire, the smoke could linger on the north side and downtown for days and possibly weeks as the wind direction will dictate where the smoke plume hovers.

In a press release Sunday, Alpena Fire Department Chief Bill Forbush said the materials that continue to burn and smolder are piles of material and officials are not aware of any health hazard to the public.

Forbush said residents with respiratory illnesses such as asthma or COPD, are advised to leave their windows closed if possible if they are subjected to the smoke.

The fire at the plant began early Friday evening and firefighters from Alpena, the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center, and plant employees who are trained to fight fires battled high winds that made extinguishing the blaze a challenge.

Forbush said emergency first responders were on scene until about 2 a.m. Saturday morning and continue to monitor the situation and return to the scene every few hours to be sure the fire remains contained, Forbush said.

The press release said the fires consumed the cooker tower and two other buildings, and spread to several very large piles of material downwind. Forbush said the large piles at the plant could continue to smolder and produce smoke for a period of time.

“Over the weekend, fires have continued to smolder in a large area of wood chips and scrap material requiring constant use of heavy equipment and hose lines to stir up the material and expose the material for extinguishment,” Forbush said in the press release. “This process may take days to weeks to complete because of the characteristics and volume of the material involved.”

The weather could determine how long the fire continues to smolder and produce smoke, Forbush said.

The National Weather Service calls for a 60 chance of rain for today which could help the fire to die out and Forbush said the direction of the wind will also be key in where the smoke plume builds.

“This morning, a change in wind direction brought smoke across the residential area on Alpena’s northside, causing concern from residents,” Forbush said. “Firefighters are working with DPI staff to continually reassess the situation and work toward extinguishment, but anticipate that the smoke will continue throughout the day. There is a chance of rain today, which may help in our efforts.”

A light haze of smoke was also experienced in downtown Alpena Sunday morning.

Steve Schulwitz can be reached at 989-358-5689 at sschulwitz@thealpenanews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ss_alpenanews.com.