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ESCANABA -- In an announcement released on Friday shortly before 3 p.m., the Michigan Department of Natural Resources announced that the Ridge Fire is now completely contained.
This fire is the last of the three fires to be contained that were addressed as part of the Rugged Terrain Complex. The other two fires -- the Craig Lake and Black River fires -- were fully contained on Nov. 6.
The DNR gave credit in its release to snowy weather, which helped the efforts to fully contain the fire.
Despite the Ridge Fire being fully contained, the area affected still contains dangers. The DNR has asked members of the public to stay out of fire zones, as there are still many trees damaged by the fires that are cause for concern.
“These trees may look fine, but the fire burned deep and damaged their root systems. These trees could fall at any time,” said Keith Murphy, DNR resource protection manager for the Upper Peninsula.
Contained does not necessarily mean a fire is completely out. Containment refers to a completed perimeter around a fire that prevents it from spreading, though open flames or smoldering heat can still burn inside those lines. In the Rugged Terrain Complex, fire may still linger in the duff layer -- the partially decayed organic matter on the forest floor beneath loose leaf litter and above mineral soil.
Due to the drought conditions across the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, the DNR previously reported fire activity was burning as deep as 2 feet in the duff layer when the Ridge fire was only 70% contained in early October.
The fire zone of the Ridge Fire, approximately 500 acres, is located 10 miles northwest of Marquette, north of the Dead River Basin and west of County Road 510.
As always, the DNR reminds everyone to check Michigan.gov/BurnPermit before planning to burn yard debris or start a campfire, and to have an accessible water source nearby.