Fire destroys 115 acres in Ocqueoc Township; people were ready to leave homes
Two people were issued citations by Department of Natural Resources conservation officers after letting a campfire get out of control and destroy about 115 acres Saturday afternoon in Ocqueoc Township.
The campers were on state land in the northern section of the Ocqueoc Falls Recreation Area. They were having a hot dog roast around 2 p.m. when the fire got away from them and burned approximately 40 acres over the next hour and threatened the evacuation of residents living on North Ocqueoc Road, who were in the path of the fire that was traveling in a northwest direction.
THE FIRE was being fueled by a strong breeze and an abundance of dry underbrush.
The campers drove to the Jolly Dutchman Bar and called 911 PI central dispatch at 2:16 p.m. Dispatchers received multiple calls on the fire.
Smoke was seen from as far away as the intersection of Swan River Road and US-23 in Pulawski Township, and the Fingerboard Corners.
Fire crews from Case Township, Ocqueoc-Bearinger, and the City of Onaway responded to the scene. The Presque Isle County American Red Cross responded to the scene a little after 3 p.m.
The DNR responded with bulldozers and contracted a local individual who offered the use of his caterpillar which was used to build roads to get at the fire.
FOREST FIRE OFFICER supervisor Joe Soncrainte from the regional office in Atlanta said the fire jumped sandy Jarvis Road and continued at a rapid pace.
?It was really moving,? Soncrainte said.
The fire burned 50 acres by 3:10 p.m. and 80 acres by 3:20 p.m.
As the fire kept moving in its destructive path, a small number of residential homeowners on North Ocqueoc Road were contacted and told to prepare to evacuate.
Soncrainte said he drove by one home that had the trunk of their vehicle open and items already packed in.
Jerry and Grace Darlene Wolgast, who live on the west side of North Ocqueoc Road, were contacted shortly after 2:30 p.m. Grace could see the smoke coming their way but ?never did see any flames,? she said. ?To be on the safe side, they did not have any mail delivery. I did not get my mail until Monday.?
While the Wolgasts were not overly concerned, Grace grabbed her non-refundable plane ticket to Wyoming that will make it possible to attend her grandson?s high school graduation. Jerry stayed in the backyard and watched the smoke from the fire and had a backup plan of escaping into a field behind his house on a four-wheeler.
?I was not going to go until I started seeing sparks,? he said.
SONCRAINTE SAID the fire was stopped about a half mile from the widely spaced residential area.
The blaze left a forest floor of 107 acres a darkened s
With the additional hot spots that had to be put out, the total fire damage was 115 acres. The fire left a couple of campers with a tent that was burned beyond recognition. They also will be charged the cost of equipment usage and supplies, along with the hours the DNR staff worked. That bill will not include costs incurred by the townships and Onaway.
The DNR and their local partner firefighters are reminding residents that the increase in warm weather throughout the state, coupled with a moisture deficit in parts of Michigan, is currently keeping the fire danger at a high level.
Many spring outdoor activities are taking place across the state now including the opening of trout season, camping, mushroom picking and turkey hunting. The conditions early Monday forced the DNR to issue a ?red flag? fire danger warning. A red flag condition is declared when there is low humidity, high winds, and high temperatures.