DNR: Crawford County wildfire 85% contained, was sparked by campfire on private property

Grayling Township — A wildfire in Crawford County that started Saturday afternoon is 85% contained and was sparked by a campfire on private property, according to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

The Department of Natural Resources said it and partner agencies worked through the night to stop the fire from spreading.

“The crews were working in hilly, sandy terrain and that was difficult,” said Mike Janisse, incident commander of the Michigan DNR Incident Management Team in a press release. “Weather conditions also were hot, dry and windy.”

The wildfire, initially reported as 1,000 acres in size and later updated to as large as 3,000 acres, started at 1 p.m. Saturday near Staley Lake Road, about 4 miles southeast of Grayling in Grayling Township, according to the DNR.

The wildfire, dubbed the Wilderness Trail Fire, moved to the west and southwest and threatened buildings, activating emergency personnel to conduct evacuations. The evacuation order was lifted at 11 p.m. Saturday, DNR spokeswoman Laurie Abel said early Sunday morning.

The fire threatened homes and other structures, but there have been no reports of damage, Abel said. There also have been no reported injuries.

The DNR said fire danger remains high to extreme in most of Michigan, and that is expected to continue with current weather conditions. Burn permits for yard debris are not being granted at this time, the DNR said.

“One of the most important things people can do now is to refrain from burning until we get significant rain,” Janisse said.

Several local roads remain closed.

Interstate 75, closed Saturday afternoon because of poor visibility due to smoke, reopened shortly before midnight Saturday. The DNR said heavy smoke remains in the area and drivers should proceed with care.

A temporary flight restriction remains in place for a 5-mile perimeter around the fire at heights below 5,000 feet. Aircraft and drones are not permitted in the area.

On Saturday night, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer activated the State Emergency Operations Center in response to the Crawford County wildfire and a smaller one in Iosca County.

“Today, I am activating our State Emergency Operations Center to coordinate an all-hands-on-deck response to the wildfires in northern Michigan,” Whitmer said in a statement. “By taking this action, we can ensure state and local first responders have what they need to get this fire contained and prevent loss of life or property."

Shelter for evacuees was available at the Grayling Middle School gymnasium at 500 Spruce St. and the Beaver Creek Township Hall at 8888 S. Grayling Road in Grayling. 

People who were evacuated from the fire area were allowed to return to their homes late Saturday.

At nearby Beaver Creek Township Hall south of Grayling, the American Red Cross housed two residents who evacuated their home Saturday night, Red Cross volunteer Susan Huffman said.

Just south of where the fire was burning Saturday evening, some campers at the private 216-site Jellystone Park Camp Resort on West 4 Mile Road decided to leave after power was out for three hours, said park operations manager Adam Michels.

“There were some who left just out of anxiety with the wind blowing,” Michels said Sunday.

Great Lakes Energy Cooperative, the local power company, restored electricity to the park at about 8 p.m. Saturday, Michels said.

As of 9 a.m. Sunday morning, Consumers Energy reported having more than 1,500 customers without power in the city of Grayling and southeast of town where the fire occurred. At 12:38 p.m. Sunday about 500 customers were still affected by the outage and power was expected to be restored by 2:30 p.m.

Abel, the DNR spokeswoman, said 18 different agencies assisted in fighting the fire, coordinating temporary evacuations and directing road closures.

“We had a fantastic support response,” Abel said.

Michigan State Police, USDA Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, South Branch Fire Department and Beaver Creek Fire Department personnel are assisting the DNR with fighting the Crawford County fire.

Ground crews, heavy equipment, a Michigan State Police helicopter, and four USDA Forest Service fire boss planes and a Type 1 helicopter have been assigned to help suppress the fire. Aircraft will scoop water from Neff Lake, Shellenbarger Lake and Lake Margrethe near the Michigan National Guard's Camp Grayling.

In Iosco County, multiple fire agencies responded to a forest fire of approximately 250-300 acres. The fire was considered contained Saturday night, but "the area will continue to be monitored as a precautionary measure. Five individuals who were evacuated are expected to return to their homes later this evening," according to the governor's office.

Freelancer John L. Russell contributed.