Sleeper Lakes Fire Containment at 95%; UP Burning Ban Remains

Firefighters have made considerable progress in extending containment of the Sleeper Lakes fire near Newberry, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced Friday, August 31. The fire is 95% contained and is being monitored closely, as it is still smoldering deep in the peat, with a couple of active hot spots still burning. Many trees have had root systems destroyed and falling trees pose a hazard. This area will be patrolled and restrictions to travel within the fire boundaries will be enforced, the DNR reported, although travel to Newberry and Luce County is unrestricted. The 55-mile-perhour speed limit has been reinstated on Highway M-123.

Incident Command for this fire will be turned over to the local firefighting unit in the very near future, reported Tracy McDermott, a DNR spokesperson Friday. The Incident Command Post was moved from 4 Mile Corner to the Newberry Field Office.

During the Sleeper Lakes fire, the State of Minnesota shared CL- 215-Water Bombers; the U.S. Forest Service shared a helicopter, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Bureau of Land Management, the State of Wisconsin, and the Province of Ontario all shared crews and equipment, owing to the Great Lakes Forest Fire Compact formed by Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Ontario, and Manitoba Natural Resource agencies. Without these resources readily available, the Sleeper Lakes fire could have been much worse, Ms. McDermott reported.

Morale and motivation for all fire crews has remained high during the course of the fire, she reported, even though firefighters have been away from their home and families for extended periods of time. Mingo Crew 2 of the U.S. Forest Service in Puixco, Missouri, led by Crew Boss Robert Waldner, departed the site August 31.

Each morning before the bus departed, members of this crew would share inspirational readings with each other, Ms. McDermott said, and each evening, upon their return, they could be heard chanting hoorahs as their bus returned to the yard. Crew Boss Mr. Waldner, who has served on numerous western fires, made a point of commenting on the unprecedented generosity and support that the fire crews received from local communities.

Information on the Sleeper Lakes fire is updated on the DNR Web site at www. michigan. gov/dnr.

The cost of battling the Sleeper Lakes fire in Luce County has exceeded $5 million, said DNR Director Rebecca Humphries.

An outdoor burning ban remains in effect for all counties in the Upper Peninsula, while the ban has been lifted in Lower Peninsula counties owing to adequate rainfall that has alleviated drought conditions there, the Department of Natural Resources reported Thursday, August 30.