MARQUETTE, MI— DNR crews are making progress on containing Marquette and Baraga County fires and are also fighting a Gogebic County wildfire.
The Ridge Fire is about 10 miles northwest of Marquette. It’s about 434 acres and 30 percent contained. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
The Craig Lake Fire, north of Craig Lake State Park in Baraga County, is now estimated at 604 acres and is 50 percent contained. The DNR has confirmed the cause of the fire was a lightning strike that smoldered until high winds caused it to ignite dry fuels.
On Wednesday, the DNR had 41 firefighters on the ground on the Ridge Fire and 24 firefighters on the ground on the Craig Lake Fire. A 21-person DNR Incident Management Team is managing both fires. Additional support is provided by the U.S. Forest Service, Michigan State Police, Marquette County Sheriff’s Office and Emergency Management, Baraga County Emergency Management, Michigamme-Spurr Fire Department and DNR Law Enforcement Division.
The DNR took over management of a wildfire in the western U.P. from the U.S. Forest Service on Tuesday. The 382-acre Black River Fire is four miles south of Wakefield and 50 percent contained. It’s burning in a densely forested area with difficult access. The cause of that fire is also under investigation.
