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March 19, 2010

Wildfire season heats up

BY SHERI McWHIRTER

TRAVERSE CITY -- One glowing ember floated away from a leaf fire in James Keast's yard on Four Mile Road, igniting a hillside where he'd dumped hay from his rabbit cages.

Keast grabbed his metal rake and garden hose and quickly doused the flames before they raced out of control. The fire temporarily flared despite his precautions.

"We burn in a barrel, sticks and leaves. We wet the area around the barrel, keep a hose handy and never leave it," Keast said.

Keast's brief brush fire didn't get away from him but shows why fire experts are anxious this spring. State and local officials anticipate a troublesome wildfire season in northern Michigan, one that started weeks early and is expected to last into summer months.

Every spring, wildfire danger escalates between the snow melt and when vegetation greens up. The problem this season is the region's already in a drought and conditions are not expected to improve anytime soon.

"When we lose the snow, it doesn't take very long to get really dry," said Jim Keysor, a National Weather Service meteorologist. "We are tinder-dry right now."

Some precipitation is forecast this weekend, about a half inch of rain or wet snow between today and Saturday. It won't last, though.

"Right now, even with some precipitation expected this weekend, if we do not have regular rains every several days ... these drought conditions will continue and could get worse," Keysor said.

That's why state wildfire officials are primed to battle spring blazes as area residents clean up yards and burn debris.

"We know fires are going to begin to occur," said Paul Kollmeyer, wildfire prevention specialist with the state Department of Natural Resources and Environment. "There's a lot of people out raking and cleaning their yards and they are burning. The most common reason fires get away is when people walk away."

Composting or mulching yard waste is recommended to avoid fire risk, though burn permits are being issued in some areas. Residents who burn debris or backyard bonfires should keep a water source nearby, such as a garden hose, and a metal rake or shovel.

George DeSha, who lives on Rasho Road in East Bay Township, busied himself Wednesday cutting down small white pine trees to clear the way for more sunshine on his garden. He also tidied up stray leaves, but won't burn them.

"I put them back in the woods. I don't burn. I don't want to let it get out of hand," said DeSha, a former firefighter in Florida. "I don't want to take any chances. It can get away from you really easily."

Those still using a wood stove should soak ashes in water rather than just dumping them outdoors, Kollmeyer said.

Chief Pat Parker, of the Grand Traverse Metro Fire Department, said residents should pay attention when dealing with fire.

"It's a matter of awareness. Your actions can cause a major fire," he said. "You can still see patches of snow in the woods, but right next to it is a patch of grass that's been in direct sunlight."

A ban on all fires has not been ordered, as Gov. Jennifer Granholm did in 2007. But residents should know the risks, officials said.

"That's not to say people can't have a backyard bonfire, but be aware of your surroundings. If it's dry and the wind picks up, the embers can go," Parker said.

The forecast through March into April and May calls for below normal precipitation, Keysor said. That could translate into an extended and more dangerous wildfire season.

"It certainly will be longer than normal and we are doing our best to prepare for a season that's hotter and drier than normal. We could have a fire season that lasts throughout the summer," Kollmeyer said.

Visit www.michigan.gov/burnpermit to learn where burn permits are being issued.

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Wildfire season heats up
by BY SHERI McWHIRTER , , Fri Mar 19, 2010, 07:32 AM EDT

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