The Blue Lakes Fire in the northern portion of Michigan’s lower peninsula is now 98% contained, according to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
All road closures in the fire area have been lifted. The stretch of the Black River that was closed has also been opened.
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Firefighters are still working to connect the remaining gaps in the containment line and mop up the fire area, which is northwest of Atlanta and spans Montmorency and Cheboygan counties.
“If you are in the area, stay on roads,” said Kerry Heckman, DNR fire public information officer. “There may be hot spots or snags, which are trees that can fall over without warning. There may be smoke, and fire crews will still be working in the area.”
Previous: 2,200-acre Blue Lakes Fire in Northern Michigan is 75% contained, DNR says
Crews putting out hot spots, cutting dangerous trees
A total of 28 DNR firefighters and two emergency medical technicians are on fire duty Tuesday (May 17), including sawyers cutting down dangerous trees and hand crews working on fire cleanup, as well as a 15-member incident management team and one DNR conservation officer.
The fire is believed to have started Wednesday (May 11) with a lightning strike that smoldered for a few days before spreading into dry fuels and creating the wildfire. It was first reported at 12:40 p.m. Friday.
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Map showing updated fire coverage and road closures below:
Click here to see more images from the Blue Lakes Fire.