News Photo by Steve Schulwitz Alpena Township Fire Chief Mark Hansen organizes brush fire gear at the department’s south side station this week. Hansen said there has been an increase in brush fires the last couple weeks.

ALPENA — Grass and brush fire season in Northeast Michigan is underway and local fire departments have been busy extinguishing such blazes.

Local fire officials say that, with the Memorial Day weekend on the horizon and many people lighting campfires and bonfires, they are concerned more wildfires could ignite.

Alpena Township Fire Chief Mark Hansen, who worked for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources as a fire officer before taking the job for the township, said that, early in the spring, few grass fires were being called in, but, over the last couple weeks, things have amped up.

“Early on, there was quite a bit of rain, and that kept the fires at bay, but things are starting to dry up now and we are beginning to get more calls,” Hansen said.

Many brush or grass fires are small and easily put out, but Hansen said a large fire, about 10 acres or more, is more challenging. He said firefighters battling such blazes use nontraditional firefighting gear and cope with more variables than they do with a typical structure fire.

He said smaller firefighting vehicles are used to reach fires that are often located deep in the woods, and chainsaws and other hand tools are needed.

“A structure fire is contained to a general area of origin, but a wildland fire can move and bounce around because of things like wind, and (they) are hard to predict.,” he said. “There are no set boundaries like there are most times with a structure fire.”

Hansen said Alpena Township works closely with other local fire departments, as well as the DNR, to fight wildfires when they flare up.

He said his staff has trained on the best tactics to use when battling a brush fire and he offers another layer of experience from his encounters while working with the DNR and fighting many grass, brush, and forest fires.

When a wildfire is reported, often from the DNR airplane that scours the area looking for smoke, they are often far into the woods and difficult to locate and access.

Hansen said several local departments have brush rigs, which are smaller and designed for off-road traveling and for navigating highly vegetated areas when full-size ford trucks can’t go.

He said fighting a wildfire can be exhausting for firefighters, as they have to hike into the woods, battle the blaze, and then march back out. He said that is why having good relationships with neighboring departments is critical.

“We all rely on each other and, often, each other’s equipment,” Hansen said.

Many people will have campfires this weekend or use a grill for cookouts, Hansen said. He said people should never leave them unattended and always have a nearby water source to put a fire out quickly if it begins to get out of control. He said people should monitor the DNR fire risk level and get burning permits if one is needed.

“People should make the appropriate preparations to put a fire out quickly, but, if it gets too large or spreads too fast, call 911 as soon as possible,” the fire chief said.

Although the Alpena area received some badly needed rain on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, the National Weather Service in Gaylord said it likely wasn’t enough to decrease the chance of fires much.

But the Weather Service says there is a good chance of rain today and a slight chance of precipitation several days next week.