GRAYLING, Mich. – A wildfire that quickly grew Saturday in northern Michigan is a direct result of a recent stretch of hot and dry weather across the region, officials said.
At last report, the Crawford County wildfire had burned more than 1,000 acres, and its proximity to homes and businesses has forced some evacuations.
The threat of blinding smoke also triggered state police to close part of Interstate 75 near Grayling.
The cause of the blaze is not yet known, and even though it is producing smoke, most of what is being smelled around the Great Lakes is the result of fires in Canada.
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“The overwhelming majority of the smoke across northern Michigan is originating from wildfires across far eastern Ontario and Quebec,” said the National Weather Service office in Gaylord, Michigan.
Locals said wildfires are not uncommon in the state, and blazes are usually compared to the 1980 Mack Lake Fire, which was the worst in recent memory. The fire burned more than 20,000 acres in just six hours, destroyed 44 buildings and caused at least one fatality.