NEWS RELEASE
MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES
************************* Sleeper Lake fire - media information
The Department of Natural Resources’ Emergency Command Center was deactivated today at noon.
A fire was spotted near Hulbert in Chippewa County this morning.
Resources were released temporarily from the Sleeper Lake Fire for initial attack on this fire.
The fire was contained at 14.9 acres.
Additional spot fires occurred on the west side of the Sleeper Lake fire today.
Firefighters were able to contain these fires with the assistance of an additional bulldozer assigned from another area of the fire.
Firefighters continue to hold and patrol existing control lines, extending hose lays and continuing mop-up operations in portions of the fire.
The suppression techniques currently being used are being called a water show.
Firefighters are using miles of hose lays, irrigation pipe and sprinklers, and pumps to get water to various locations on the fire.
The north and northeastern portions of the fire held well and mop-up continues in these areas.
The eastern side of the fire (Division Echo) is also holding and currently has more than three miles of hose lays.
An inversion is expected tomorrow morning in the vicinity of the fire.
This may cause poor visibility due to smoke.
Please drive with caution, keep your lights on and consider delaying your travel in this area until after 10:30 a.m. when the inversion is likely to lift.
For updated information call 1-877-261-3473. SIZE: Estimated at 18,020 acres and 67 percent contained.
LOCATION: Luce County. 6.5 miles north of the Village of Newberry.
RESOURCES: Current resources on the fire include numerous dozers, water units, engines, hand crews from various states, marsh masters, and approximately 254 personnel.
WEATHER: The weather forecast for Monday calls for partly cloudy skies with an east wind of four to seven miles an hour, becoming 10 to 15 miles an hour later in the morning. We are expecting wind gusts up to 25 miles an hour after 10 a.m.
Temperatures will be in the mid 70ss and the relative humidity will be 35 percent.
Fire behaviour is expected to increase tomorrow afternoon with the increased winds.
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