Spring Brings Wildfire Danger

Most anywhere in the U.P. that you look, the snow is gone by now, revealing dry ground.

For the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment, it also means an early beginning to wildfire season.

Since Monday, the DNRE has had to contend with 7 wildfires in portions of Dickinson, Marquette and Luce Counties, as well as the Garden Peninsula.

The early start to the wildfire season is something new within the last decade.

Allan Keto is the U.P. resource protection manager for the DNRE.

He says the warm weather has put the department weeks ahead of its normal schedule for the year, which means having to spend a lot more money than usual.

In the past 10 years, the majority of wildfires the DNRE has responded to have been caused by humans.

Because of that, Keto recommends being conscientious when starting a fire and also finding out if a burn permit is allowed in your area.

If you want to apply for a burn permit, you can go online to www.michigan.gov/burnpermit .