- No injuries reported in the fire, which grew from 1,000 to 3,000 acres in a few hours Saturtday
- Rainfall is well below normal in much of Michigan
- Blaze has shut down parts of Interstate 75
Crews were using helicopters to try to extinguish a 3,000-acre wildfire in Crawford County on Saturday, amid unusually dry conditions and a heat wave that have much of Michigan at extreme risk for fire.
The wildfire is moving to the west and southwest and is only 4 miles southeast of Grayling in Grayling Township near Staley Lake Road, the state announced. The fire grew quickly, tripling from 1,000 acres in a few hours Saturday evening.
While no one is believed to have been injured in the wildfires, the state Department of Natural Resources said evacuations are underway and people are being relocated to Grayling Middle School and the Beaver Creek Township Hall.
An update on the number of people affected could be coming later Saturday, a DNR spokesperson told Bridge Michigan shortly before 8 p.m.
At 9 p.m., Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced she was activating the State Emergency Operations Center in response to the Crawford County fire and a forest fire over 250 acres to 300 acres in Iosco County.
“By taking this action, we can ensure state and local first responders have what they need to get this fire contained and prevent loss of life or property. I want to thank the first responders who have been working to keep Michiganders safe,” Whitmer said.
🚨🚨🚨WILDFIRE ripping through Grayling area. I-75 now closed in both directions. Photo via MSP @Local4News pic.twitter.com/8Y12vVHST7
— @𝙽𝙸𝙶𝙷𝚃𝙲𝙰𝙼 (@nightcam) June 3, 2023
As of 8 p.m., winds have kept the fire away from populated areas.
Michigan State Police shut down parts of Interstate 75 around 6 p.m.
Earlier this week, Bridge reported there were more than three dozen fires in northern Michigan. National Weather Service data indicates that the last day of rain in the area of Grayling was nearly a month ago, May 7.
May’s rainfall was more than an inch below normal in much of the state, while temperatures have been in the upper 80s for the past several days. Federal meteorologists warn of an increased risk of drought in much of the Midwest this summer.
“Drought indices really have never been this high in the month of May,” Paul Rogers, a fire prevention specialist at the Michigan Department of Natural Resources told Bridge this week. “We’re probably running about double the number of fires we normally have just because it’s so dry.”
The DNR reported that crews from the U.S. Forest Service and Michigan State Police were fighting the Grayling blaze with water from Neff Lake, Shellenbarger Lake and Lake Margrethe.
The state placed a 5-mile flight restriction in a 5-mile perimeter of the area for small aircraft and drones.
As of 7 p.m., multiple closures are in place:
- Northbound and southbound lanes of I-75 between 4 Mile Road Exit 251 to Down River Road Exit 256
- Staley Lake Road from M-72 to 4 Mile Road
- Wilderness Trail from Keystone Landing Road to Staley Lake Road
- Staley Lake Beach and Neff Lake Beach
Northern Michigan is already affected by hazy conditions of smoke carried by wind from wildfires in eastern Canada.
Editor’s note: This article was updated at 9:24 p.m. June 3 after the fire grew from 1,000 acres.
