FORD RIVER –The Ford River Township Volunteer Fire Department responded to an unknown fire in a wooded area on Monday. About 7:20 p.m., volunteer firefighters responded to a large wooded area in the township where a fire had started.

Responding units determined there was no immediate threat to any structures. However, dry conditions and leaf-covered ground resulted in the active burning of a large area both on the surface and underground. Responders quickly stopped the advancement of the fire, but a large area continued to have hot spots and flare-ups. With the assistance of the DNR Wildlife Division, the department stayed on scene until roughly 11 p.m. to extinguish as many hot spots as possible.

Both DNR and Ford River spent the morning monitoring the area and continuing to put out hotspots that occurred overnight. According to a press release, the fire was roughly the size of a couple of acres.

The Ford River Volunteer Fire Department was assisted by the Michigan DNR Fire Units out of Escanaba, Delta County Sheriff’s Department, and Delta County Central Dispatch.