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Local Firefighters Report From Sleeper Lakes Blaze
The varied terrain was "desolate," he added, and the blaze was only one-quarter to one-half mile away. Tuesday proved one of the most challenging days of the wildfire. Prolonged dry conditions had not abated, and winds threatened to spread the blaze past CR 407. In response, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) called on area fire departments for help. Equipped with a pumper tanker, the St. Ignace crew arrived on the scene at noon. Chief John "Bucky" Robinson, Bryce Tracy, Steve Paquin, Bill Fraser, Al Stempki, Chad Belonga, Dean Stadlberger, Tom Colegrove, and Justin Litzner were among firefighters working at the scene during the two days. As helicopters and planes passed overhead, the St. Ignace crew set to work in the smoke-filled area. They sought to protect the homes by removing nearby combustible materials, like wood and brush piles. DNR teams frequently entered the forest and returned from the front line of the fire, where firefighters along CR 407 resupplied them with water. In an intense effort to contain the blaze before it reached the road, DNR teams also refilled from Dawson Creek. As the situation progressed, Mr. Tracy found himself thinking hard about strategy. "What are we going to do if we have to go into action" is a question he posed to himself repeatedly. Safety considerations came first, followed by a string of "what ifs," he said. Area fire department teams were staged along the road to resupply DNR wildfire teams, but sending in the local firemen was "always a possibility," Mr. Tracy said, adding that firefighters must contend with the possibility of getting hurt or killed. "A wildfire is exactly as it is described - wild," Mr. Tracy said, and as the firefighters waited on the line, strong wind gusts fanned the nearby flames. Winds forcing the fire into new fuels could rapidly make the situation spin out of control, and in a wildfire, he said, "sometimes you cannot stay. You have to leave." There were flare ups all day Tuesday, but rain showers that night did a lot to cool the blaze. As rain approached and evening set in, 35 members of fire crews representing 10 or 12 departments converged at an established parking area on CR 407, where they checked in and were briefed. "Everybody was really happy that rain approached. It would not be enough [to stop the fire], but it could lessen the severity," he said. The following day, the crew returned to form the line along CR 407 again. After the rain, the smoke had lessened, and DNR teams appeared less stressed as better visibility allowed them to get in and out of the fire zone. Area residents supplied the firefighters with food and other necessities, Mr. Tracy said, and response networks throughout the area were working well. "Nobody was getting hurt," Mr. Tracy said, adding that while firefighters from the City of St. Ignace, Hudson, Hendricks, Portage, and Garfield townships were busy at the fire, Clark, Brevort, and Newton township crews, along with responders from Mackinac Island, played a vital role on standby. They were ready to protect the local areas that had sent teams to the fire, he said. Local police were also on standby. The local team was no longer needed after Wednesday, Mr. Tracy said. Area firefighters acted under the authority of Brian Mensch, a DNR fire officer from Newberry, who arrived on the Sleeper Lakes Fire Friday, August 3. He is in charge of Division A, an area along CR 407, from Halfway Lake to Pine Stump Junction. Mr. Mensch was in the thick of the blaze, where he directed firefighters and their equipment, including water units and marsh vehicles. The first thing he tried to do was to create a fire break in the boggy woods about two miles to the east of CR 407, where "we were right on the fire's edge," he said. Within a few feet of the flames, workers used tractors to cut their way through the undergrowth, followed by converted military vehicles and water units. The tractors would get stuck every 10 to 15 minutes in the marshy areas. When they would push down a tree, there would be "nothing but muck underneath it," he said. One tractor sank fairly deeply. "When we pulled it out, mud rushed into the cab," he said. At times when the flames rose, the team would have to halt. Breezes influenced by the Great Lakes had led to unpredictable changes in the fire's direction throughout the week. By Friday, wind gusts from the south eventually spread the fire toward CR 407, pushing the line Mr. Mensch and many others created into the middle of the burned zone. Despite firefighters' best efforts, Mr. Mensch said, there are "times when it gets away, and there is nothing you can do but watch and regroup." After consuming the line, the fire spread within one-quarter mile of the road. Working 16 hours per day, Mr. Mensch directed efforts along a northern portion of CR 407, deciding what equipment goes where and how it should be used. He continuously decides whether firefighters should fight the blaze directly, or revert to an indirect attack, in which workers soak areas or widen roads at a distance, to prevent the blaze from spreading. Kay Fisher, a DNR fire officer working out of the Gwinn field office, directed a successful indirect attack on the Sleeper Lakes Fire, a fire break to protect M-123. "The first day we got there, we were very concerned about the fire threatening M-123. Luckily, we were able to make that break," she said. Beginning at Murphy Creek, she directed workers with drip torches using diesel fuel and gas to burn a wide swath of terrain. They moved southward along M-123, followed by water units that quelled fires jumping over the burned line. These fires were aggressively put out. Planes and helicopters provided water to protect them as the team moved along and created the burn. The situation along M-123 improved, she said Friday. "There is a black line in, creating a safe area. We are still trying to create lines. We just cannot get into some terrain." By Saturday, teams had developed divisions, and Ms. Fisher also directed efforts to prevent the blaze from reaching CR 407. Stands of jack pine beyond the western portion of CR 407 are a serious concern, she said. Workers in her division also experienced equipment sinking in the muck. "You just have to have the resources to haul it out, and then rethink how to go on," she said. The fire has "been a real eye opener," she added, saying that Western fires are more common, and even fire officers do not think of this region as fire-prone, but the drought is serious. It has been challenging to get water and resources, she said Nevertheless, "everybody is working together and learning all the time. Seeing all the expertise come together, you come away with an appreciation of what everyone can do." Workers will continue to gain control of the fire, she reported Friday, as long as the weather stays favorable. Containing the fire is just a matter of time, she said, although it may not be proceeding as fast as workers would like. "There is no preparation for how fast things can change" in this fire, said Don Klingler, a DNR fire and recreation supervisor from Gaylord, who has served as a safety officer for the Sleeper Lakes Fire. In his role, Mr. Klingler has been to all parts of the scene. In addition to helping works fight on the front lines of the blaze, he conducts morning safety briefings, communicates with pilots, observes how crews are working, checks gear, and ensures that machinery is operated safely. As he travels from place to place, he constantly looks for hazards. At 11 a.m. Tuesday, August 7, he was positioned down two-tracks east of CR 407, discussing strategy and tactics with an incident commander. Fifteen minutes later, he was evacuating residents form the Pine Stump Junction area. A sudden flare up forced the evacuations, he said. "The entire western flank was taking off. The fire roars, gets moving, and things really change." Pilots flying over the area reported an increase in fire activity. Mr. Klingler said he could see heavier smoke rolling upward, and there was "more frequent torching of trees." "I have never seen pine trees torch-up as fast as that," he told The St. Ignace News. Like others involved in fighting the blaze, he pointed to the array of dry material available to burn, from bog land material to large conifers. The fire is more contained than it was last week. "Hopefully we are going into mop-up mode," Mr. Klingler said Friday, but there are a lot of green areas between the fire lines that could catch and burn out of control, if the weather worsens. The local firefighters assisted 221 people working on the blaze, either on the ground or in other capacities, including 106 members of the Michigan DNR, and members of the Minnesota DNR, Wisconsin DNR, Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Michigan National Guard, Michigan State Police. The Luce County Sheriff's Department, and the National Weather Service. The Michigan Department of Corrections is providing security support. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service has provided a team from Indiana, which was staged at the St. Ignace district office. No local forest service members are involved in fighting the fire, said Steve Christiansen, Hiawatha Forest ranger in charge of the local district. Involvement of local firefighter units is changing daily, said DNR Information Officer Ada Takacs Monday, August 13. No updated list regarding exactly which area firefighters were involved was available by press time. |
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