U.P. crews push Ridge and Craig Lake fires toward half containment; DNR takes Black River

MARQUETTE COUNTY, Mich. — Michigan Department of Natural Resources crews made containment progress Wednesday on two Upper Peninsula wildfires that forced evacuations earlier this week, and the agency took over a third fire near Wakefield from the U.S. Forest Service.

The Ridge Fire, about 10 miles northwest of Marquette and north of the Dead River Basin west of County Road 510, was estimated at 434 acres and 30% contained, the DNR said in an Oct. 14 release. A DNR pilot spotted it Oct. 9; its cause remains under investigation. Forty-one firefighters were on the ground there Wednesday.

The Craig Lake Fire, north of Craig Lake State Park in Baraga County, was estimated at 604 acres and 50% contained. The DNR said lightning from storms between Oct. 5 and 8 started that fire, which a pilot detected Oct. 8. Twenty-four firefighters worked that fire Wednesday. A 21-person DNR incident management team is running both fires, with help from the Forest Service, Michigan State Police, county emergency managers and local departments.

Closures and alerts: Residents along North Basin Drive remain on “Ready” under the Ready, Set, Go! protocol. The Noquemanon Trail system west of the County Road 510 trailhead stays closed. Craig Lake State Park north of Craig Lake proper and the Teddy Lake Yurt are closed through the end of October, as is the North Country Trail inside the park; the rest of the park is open. A temporary flight restriction covers both fires for a 5-nautical-mile radius below 3,500 feet. Drones are not allowed.

Black River Fire: The DNR said it took management Tuesday of the Black River Fire, about 4 miles south of Wakefield. That fire was 382 acres and 50% contained, burning in dense forest with hard access. Its cause is under investigation. Minnesota and Wisconsin DNR crews and Gogebic County agencies have assisted.

The DNR asks people to check Michigan.gov/BurnPermit before outdoor burning and to keep water nearby. Contact numbers on the release include Kerry Heckman at 517-643-1256.

Sources:
Michigan Department of Natural Resources, “Containment efforts continue on Ridge and Craig Lake fires,” Oct. 14, 2026, https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/about/newsroom/releases/2026/10/14/containment-efforts-continue-on-ridge-and-craig-lake-fires
Photo: USFWS Endangered Species, “Fire in Huron-Manistee National Forest.jpg,” May 18, 2010, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/), cropped and color-adjusted, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fire_in_Huron-Manistee_National_Forest.jpg

Upper Peninsula

Tags: Upper Peninsula · News · Wildfire · DNR · Marquette County · Craig Lake