The “Ready” status for residents along North Basin Drive, put in place under the “Ready, Set, Go!” evacuation protocol for the Ridge Fire, has been lifted, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and the Marquette County Sheriff’s Office and Emergency Management said in an Oct. 19 announcement.
The fire, about 10 miles northwest of Marquette, north of the Dead River Basin and west of County Road 510, was estimated at 466 acres and 50 percent contained that day. Officials said recent rain and cooler weather had helped crews build containment lines, and that an infrared drone flight had given a clearer picture of remaining hot spots. Nate Stearns, incident commander for the Rugged Terrain Complex, thanked firefighters and said the new information, along with fire behavior forecasts, supported lifting the “Ready” notice. “Although we do not anticipate the need to reactivate the evacuation protocol, we will continue to monitor the fire activity along each of the management action points and will act if necessary,” he said.
The cause of the Ridge Fire remained under investigation. The DNR said the Noquemanon Trail system west of the trailhead on County Road 510 was still closed. In the same briefing, the Craig Lake Fire in Baraga County was estimated at 606 acres and 90 percent contained, with a lightning cause confirmed, and the north end of Craig Lake State Park, the Teddy Lake Yurt and the North Country Trail inside the park were closed through the end of October. The 350-acre Black River Fire near Wakefield was 70 percent contained, also attributed to lightning. Seventy-three firefighters were working the three fires that day, with support from a long list of state, federal, tribal and local partners.
The DNR again asked people to check Michigan.gov/BurnPermit before burning yard debris or starting a campfire, and to keep water nearby.
