I'm writing these words at noon on Wendsday, May 19 as four tractor- plows, nine off road fire engines, three fireline skidders and a U.S. Forest Service Task Force (one bulldozer with three fire engines) and a growing number of wildland and local firefighters sweat it out on firelines this sunny Michigan day. A wildfire - now named the
Meridian Boundary Fire - is raging in Michigan's Crawford County in South Branch Township near the intersection of M-18 and M-72. The fast moving flame front is being fought by crews from the U.S. Forest Service, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment and local fire departments. At this moment the blaze has swept over 7,520 acres and evacuations continue. Residences have been confirmed lost as the fire burns mostly through jack pines. (Building in woods without a defensible open space has extreme risk when fires rage) The blaze was first spotted at 1:30 pm yesterday. The cause: Burning of debris.
The point of this blog post: Caution and fire weather awarness is a must when you burn--even if you have a permit. A State of Emergency has now been declared in Crawford County and M-18 is closed from M-72 to the Roscommon line. With winds shifting today to the northwest there is fear the fire may jump over and escape the southern containment lines. If that happens the north side of the Village of Roscommon is threatened. Stay tuned.
This fire will help nature. The fire will open the cones of the jack pines so the seeds will come out. And the jack pines are what the Kirtland warbler needs to survive as they are still indangered. That is my half full look at this event.
ReplyDeleteChris..thanks for your post! I am in full agreement--good comes from that fire (and most wildfires). I had made the post because many were unaware there was even a fire burning as they headed north. Hopefully michigan will practice more controlled burns and let fire burn where it can. Unfortuntly many build wood frame homes, with wood decks right in the middle of pine woods..and then scream for help when a fire heads their way. Kind of like sleeping on train tracks and wanting someone to carry you off the rails when a train runble along. Jonathan
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