Tagged: wildfires

In a progress report released yesterday, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources announced that workers had contained 72 percent of the Duck Lake Fire after nearly an inch of rainfall on Saturday.

The fire, caused by a lightning strike 11 days ago, now covers 21,135 acres in Luce County. The perimeter of the fire is 44 miles long. Fifteen of those miles remain uncontained.

Out of the 141 structures within the fire’s perimeter, 136 have been lost. The DNR reported the completed property damage assessment as follows:

• 49 homes/cabins (including a store and a motel)
• 23 garages
• 38 sheds/outbuildings
• 26 campers

Stretching 11 miles south of the Lake Superior shoreline, the fire is about 14 miles north of Newberry and seven miles west of Tahquamenon Falls State Park campgrounds.

Click here to see the DNR's most up-to-date map of the fire perimeter.

The next chance of rain in the area is Wednesday.

- Suzanne Jacobs, Michigan Radio Newsroom

NEWBERRY, Mich. (AP) - The Michigan Department of Natural Resources says it's making good progress battling an Upper Peninsula wildfire as some people return to their homes.

This morning the Michigan Department of Natural Resources released an update on the Duck Lake Fire, still burning in the Upper Peninsula.

According to the DNR, the fire, located in Luce County, was roughly 21,450 acres is size and about 55 percent contained, as of this morning.

From the DNR press release:

A popular state park is reopening near a wildfire that's been burning across more than 30 square miles of Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

A Department of Natural Resources spokesman says Upper Falls and related facilities in Tahquamenon Falls State Park have reopened, and the Lower Falls campground is expected to reopen at noon today. The well-known destination for campers was originally closed because of smoke and ash problems. The DNR spokesman says those conditions have cleared up in the park.

The DNR says the blaze known as the Duck Lake Fire began with a lightning strike last week and burned about 34 square miles.

Mackinac Policy Conference kicks off today

The annual Mackinac Policy Conference gets underway today on Mackinac Island. The conference is sponsored by the Detroit Regional Chamber and has been taking place since 1981. It's a place where policy makers, politicians, and business and thought leaders get together to discuss ideas and policies that could shape Michigan's future.

Conference organizers hope to "spur a comprehensive dialogue on innovation, collaboration and the 21st century global market" at this year's conference.

If you feel compelled to tweet about the event this week, the hashtag for the conference is #mpc12.

Michigan Governor Snyder will deliver welcoming comments today at 3:30 p.m.

Michigan Radio's Zoe Clark and MPRN's Rick Pluta will bring us updates from the conference. You can also watch online coverage of the event sponsored by Detroit Public Television.

Update on wildfires in the Upper Peninsula

The AP reports that the 3,400-acre Pine Creek North wildfire in Schoolcraft County is mostly contained:

Officials say some crews are leaving the area as mop-up operations continue. Firefighters on Tuesday planned to patrol the perimeter of the fire looking for hot spots.

The wildfire was ignited by lightning and first reported on May 21.

However, the Duck Lake Fire continues to burn. More from CNN wire services:

The Duck Lake Fire has burned more than 22,000 acres and is still going despite recent rains, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources reported on its website.The state agency estimated Monday the blaze is about 51% contained, thanks to progress made by firefighters in maintaining a firm perimeter.

Moving up income tax cut called a "gimmick"

The Michigan House of Representatives will begin taking up plans today to move a planned income tax cut up by a few months.

The tax rate will drop from 4.35 percent to 4.25 percent next January. The Associated Press reports Michigan House Republicans want to start the tax cut in October 2012.

House Republican Speaker Jase Bolger wants to return $90 million from a budget surplus to taxpayers. The tax rate would drop from 4.35 percent to 4.25 percent.

The Michigan League for Human Services says the move is an election-year gimmick. It says the money would be better spent offering preschool or dental care to low-income children.

Democrats say tax changes passed last year by GOP lawmakers will require that individuals pay $1.4 billion more in taxes next year. They say the $90 million cut is insufficient.

NEWBERRY, Mich. (AP) - Rain is lending a hand to crew members who are battling a wildfire that has consumed 31.6 square miles of forest in the eastern port of Michigan's sparsely populated Upper Peninsula.

Governor Rick Snyder has declared a state of disaster in the Upper Peninsula counties of Luce and Schoolcraft, where wildfires already have consumed more than 20,000 acres.

Snyder's declaration Friday means all state resources will be made available to protect public health and safety in the ongoing efforts to fight the wildfires.