GRAYLING TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WXYZ) — A wildfire in northern Michigan is fully contained, state officials said.
The Wilderness Trail Fire in the Grayling area burned about 2,400 acres. Crews began battling the fire Saturday afternoon and continued putting out hot spots Tuesday afternoon.
Tuesday evening, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources said the fire is 100% contained.
Local roads have reopened, but the DNR asked people to avoid the area so fire crews had space to complete their job. The DNR said roads in the area are narrow and have little room for passing.
“We know it is interesting to see and that people are curious, but we want to make sure we have the room to get our work done safely,” Cmdr. Mike Janisse with the DNR Incident Management Team said in a statement. “Driving on the dry roads creates a great deal of dust, which makes for poor visibility.”
Officials said the source of the fire was a campfire on private property that escaped in the southwest direction, spreading through the woods.
About 300 people were evacuated until late Saturday night, and I-75 was closed in both directions.
According to the DNR, fire danger remains high in Michigan because of the recent dry weather.
The DNR is urging extreme caution when making campfires.
Firefighters with the DNR have battled more than two dozen fires around the state in the past week, officials said.
