Courtesy Image Unusually dry weather and an extended summer season into a fast fall glow-up of autumnal colors and annual leaf drop has contributed to an elevated fire danger across the northern Lower Peninsula. Residents and forest visitors are cautioned to monitor their outdoor activities and stay vigilant in not sparking any wildfires.

CADILLAC — Lack of adequate rainfall, unseasonably warmer days, and the competing needs for available resources across the nation have prompted fire management officers to preposition aerial firefighting resources in the Great Lakes region for expedited response to reports of wildfire.

Currently, Inciweb, an interagency, all-risk incident information management system developed to provide the public with a single source of incident related information, reported two wildfires in the Upper Peninsula actively burning on federal public lands. The Ottawa National Forest’s Summit Lake fire, 24 miles southeast of Ishpeming, is burning in timber with moderate fire behavior, while the Hiawatha National Forest’s Lard Lake wildfire, just nine miles southeast of Munising, is burning in timber and displaying active fire behavior with torching.

As of midnight on Tuesday, both fires reported over 200 acres burned.

The causes of the fires are pending investigations.

Three amphibious AT-802F scooping single engine air tankers, also known as Fire Bosses, centrally located in the Great Lakes, provided aerial assistance on the Summit and Lard Lake fires, supporting ground firefighting units with dampening the wildfires’ forward movement. An additional assist on a Michigan Department of Natural Resources’ wildfire in Deerton, just west of Munising, brought the total of aerial suppression efforts to 48,000 gallons over the course of 60 water drops.

Courtesy Photo Aerial firefighting resources taxi down the runway at the Marquette/Sawyer Regional airport enroute to the Summit Fire on the Ottawa National Forest, 24 miles southeast of Ishpeming, on Tuesday in this U.S. Forest Service photo by Chad Runyan.

“Wildfire conditions across the Huron-Manistee National Forests warrant residents and forest visitors to stay vigilant in their preventative measures to avoid sparking a wildfire,” said Fire Management Officer Matthew Way. “With indices of high and very high across the northern Lower Peninsula, monitoring the Michigan Department of Natural Resources’ Burn Permit Map and the fire weather forecast at Great Lakes Fire and Fuels would be a great benefit to anyone looking to do any type of outdoor activities that could potentially risk a wildfire.”

Way reported that initial attack response by Huron-Manistee National Forests resources began to see an uptick, raising concern that complacency could contribute to the increase this time of year.

Way noted that the recent rainfall was not enough to offset any fire danger across the Huron-Manistee National Forests’ response area.

Fall recreational activities like hunting, camping, and off-highway vehicle use increase the risk of a human-caused wildfire from a vehicle backfire, an abandoned campfire, or even parking on top of dry vegetation.

Preparing your property for the potential impact of an oncoming wildfire through mitigation practices is as easy as fall cleanup.

Residents are encouraged to conduct mitigation activities such as reducing fuel loading on their property, cleaning gutters so they are free of flammable debris, and taking the time to inspect recreational fire rings on their properties for upkeep, including removing debris 10 feet outside of the pit and 20 feet overhead.

Composting, chipping and even creating wildlife habitat for small mammals for overwintering would be a better use of yard waste and debris during this dry spell.

“Home hardening techniques, like cleaning gutters, removing dead vegetation from the foundation of structures and homes, as well as keeping the area under decks free of flammable materials and gas cans help reduce a structure/house fire in the event of a wildfire,” Way noted.

Pay special attention to the roof of any structures, residences, or outbuildings, which may be a vital ignition point during a wildfire.

Way reinforced to the public that, when suppression efforts are being conducted, staying away from the area and restraining from the use of drones helps operations go more smoothly and creates a safer environment for aerial resources to act swiftly.

“If you fly, we can’t,” Way stated.

Aerial suppression is an effective way to initiate suppression efforts before ground resources can arrive and often continue to support firefighters with aerial observation of vital fire behavior and forward movement.

To learn more about home hardening or mitigating the threat of wildfires on your property, go to the the Huron-Manistee National Forests’ Fire Management website.