Windy conditions allow Ridge Fire to spread to 500 acres
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MARQUETTE -- After several days of windy conditions, the Ridge Fire north of Marquette has grown another 30 acres, spreading to nearly 500 acres -- though, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources says that the fire remains "well within firefighters' confinement strategy." Warm, windy weather also contributed to several other fires in Marquette County over the past week.
Over the weekend, a four-acre fire in Marquette Township near Wetmore Pond, which firefighters refer to as the Game 2 Fire, was detected and controlled. An 11-acre fire in Sands Township known as the Silver Leaf Fire was also detected over the weekend. Michigan Department of Natural Resources firefighters worked with local fire departments to battle those fires.
As for the Ridge Fire, it continues to burn deep in the duff layer of the forest floor, which is a layer composed of fallen leaves and organic matter which can be found above the mineral soil.
The Ridge Fire, which is 10 miles northwest of Marquette between County Road 510 and North Basin Drive, has been burning since early October. It was first spotted by airplane on Oct. 9, and is part of the Rugged Terrain Complex, which also includes the 606-acre Craig Lake Fire in Baraga County and the 350-acre Black River Fire near Wakefield.
"We continue to monitor it daily from the air and on the ground, and we're keeping a close watch on it, so we can continue to hold and improve the lines that we have," said Peter Glover, fire supervisor in the DNR's Gwinn unit, speaking about the Ridge Fire.
Glover said that the same steep, rocky terrain that has made the Ridge Fire difficult to fight also contributes to keeping it from spreading. Trails and roads also help keep fire from spreading.
"There are a lot of natural features that check this fire," Glover said. "What's going to stop this fire and put it out is season-ending rain and/or snow."
The DNR said that other rugged terrain complex fires are largely contained and within the same footprint they have been.
"The DNR is continuing to monitor all of these daily, and we have good plans in place," Glover said.
Last week, the DNR said that portions of some of the rugged terrain fires would continue to burn until they were extinguished by snow cover.
As always, the DNR reminds people to check Michigan.gov/BurnPermit before planning to burn yard debris or start a campfire, and to have an accessible water source nearby. For more fire safety tips, visit Michigan.gov/PreventWildfires.
Annie Lippert can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 550. Her email address is alippert@miningjournal.net.