Fire near Devil’s Lake under investigation | News, sports, jobs

Courtesy Photo A wooded area near Devil’s Lake is seen in this aerial photo from Sunday provided by the Alpena Township Fire Department. According to a press release from the fire department, reports of smoke in the forest led emergency services to a four-hectare fire site.

According to a news release from Fire Chief Mark Hansen, the Alpena Township Fire Department was called to the area of ​​US-23 South and Island Drive around 1:09 p.m. Sunday for a report of smoke in the woods.

When crews arrived on scene, they found a small brush fire caused by a downed power line. Crews were in the process of extinguishing the fire when a Michigan Department of Natural Resources reconnaissance aircraft spotted a possible wildfire on the west side of Devil’s Lake at 1:58 p.m. Wilson Township was dispatched to this fire, but after DNR aircraft got closer, they were able to determine that the fire had started in Alpena Township. The emergency services fought the fire for about four hours.

Alpena Township crews responded and medical standby was provided by Sanborn Fire Department, Combat Readiness Training Center Fire Department, Michigan DNR Fire Department and Alpena Fire Department.

“A special thank you to the folks at Alpena Cycle Club and the Salvation Army who provided food and drinks to the firefighters working on the fire,” Hansen said in the news release.

The fire covered an area of ​​four hectares and was started by an abandoned campfire. There were no injuries to those involved and the fire remains under investigation.