Wildfire Burns Nearly 200 Acres In Michigan

PRESQUE ISLE COUNTY, MI — Firefighters are battling a wildfire in northern Michigan, according to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

At 8:30 p.m. Sunday, the fire covered 180 acres near the southeast end of the Tomahawk Creek Flooding in Presque Isle County, according to officials.

Officials have put traffic restrictions along Spring Lake, Anderson and Millersburg roads as firefighters battle the blaze.

"The fire is burning in jack pine, hardwood and a blueberry bog," DNR Officer Laurie Abel said, adding officials have not yet determined a cause of the fire.

Only a single vehicle that got stuck on a forest road was burned, and its occupants were able to get away from the vehicle and are safe, according to officials.

Officials have not ordered any evacuations and said the fire does not threaten any homes or structures in the area.

Firefighters have contained roughly 60 percent of the fire as suppression efforts continued Monday, officials said.

In addition to firefighters' efforts, officials are also using four Air Boss water-scooping planes, DNR fire detection aircraft and an Air Attack plane, which coordinates air activity, according to officials.

Michigan lawmakers have allocated one-time funding for at least two 802 water-scooping planes to help fight the fire.

Downed wood in the northern Lower Peninsula from the March 2025 ice storm has created an increased fire risk this spring, officials said.

Weather in the area has been windy and dry for the past several days, also contributing to fire risk, officials said.