Michigan’s hot and dry weather conditions mean increased fire risk, and Southwest Michigan is no exception.
According to the Department of Natural Resources, several parts of the region have moved from very high to extreme fire risk over the past week. That’s determined by factors like rain levels, temperature, and wind speed. Kalamazoo went from very high to extreme.
DNR spokeswoman Kerry Heckman said that it’s atypical to see this level of fire risk so early in the summer.
“It is unusual for us to have these factors be at these levels this time of year,” said Heckman. “And the last time we've seen these types of levels on some of these factors is over 20 years.”
The DNR has effectively banned all open debris burning in Michigan.
The city of Kalamazoo has implemented a burn ban. A permit is required for any recreational fire, and all other outside fires are prohibited.
Todd Kowalski, Kalamazoo Township Fire Marshal, said the township has prohibited all fires outside burn pits since 2018. During the drought, it’s also gone further than the state, banning all fire pits and campfires until conditions improve.
“When the burn ban comes off, and you're going to have your camp fires, still do them responsibly,” said Kowalski. “And make sure you've got safety at the utmost.”
The DNR recommends having a water source close to any fire and making sure fires are fully extinguished. The forest fire that began Saturday in Grayling started with a campfire on private land.
Heckman said people in Southwest Michigan should be careful even in areas that don’t usually experience wildfires.
” We certainly still have grass fires that occurred out there as well. The fires tend to be smaller in that area than what we experience in the northern part of the state or in the Upper Peninsula,” said Heckman. “But it is still something that people should be cautious about.”
