The Michigan Department of Natural Resources says it responded to 31 different wildfires across the state on Monday.
Faith Fredrickson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Gaylord, said low humidity, warm temperatures and fierce winds were partially to blame.
"That aided a lot in the wildfire threat being much higher than usual because that also allows things to spread fairly quickly combined with the dry conditions," Fredrickson said.
Jeff Vasher, the DNR's resource protection manager, also attributed some of the fires to downed power lines.
One of the wildfires sparked up in the Huron-Manistee National Forest near Mio. The blaze spanned about 124 acres, and the cause was still under investigation Tuesday evening.
The Oscoda County Sherriff's Office said the wildfire caused power outages and forced nearby residents to evacuate. After the fire was about 80% contained Monday night, the evacuation order was lifted.
Wildfire season in Michigan typically lasts from April to June.
In a press release, the DNR said parts of the northern Lower Peninsula are at greater risk for fire danger this season. That's because of the hundreds of miles of debris leftover from last year's historic ice storm.
"The downed wood has been on the ground for a year, is starting to dry out, and can contribute to much hotter and more dangerous conditions if a fire gets started," Paul Rogers, a DNR fire prevention specialist wrote.
In the release, DNR officials encouraged people to look to monitor weather conditions and exercise caution when attempting to start a fire. If a backyard fire gets out of hand, they said, immediately call 911 and do not try to put it out independently.
Fire prevention tips:
- Keep a hose or other water source nearby when burning.
- Prevent sparks by keep trailer chains of the road and do not park hot equipment on dry grass
- Keep backyard fires in a contained ring
- Never leave a fire, or hot coals, unattended
- Never shoot fireworks into dry grass, shrubs or woods
- Burning plastic, household trash or other hazardous materials is illegal.
- Use a burn barrel with a screen on top to burn paper, leaves and other natural materials
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