Blackhawk choppers & bambi buckets - Newberry update

NEWS RELEASE

MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES

************************** Sleeper Lake Fire - media information

Statewide Toll Free Information 1-877-261-3473

Firefighters continue work on dozer lines around the perimeter of fire today.

Twenty-seven miles of dozer line has been constructed around the fire and mop-up operations have begun on portions of the fire.

The fire is now 18,574 acres and is considered 50 percent contained.

The burnout operations yesterday evening were very successful.

Firefighters were able to burn additional acres of difficult to reach marshland adjacent to McMahon Lake.

Plans continue to be made in the event additional burnout operations are needed.

These operations enhanced existing dozer lines and increased the amount of black between the fireline and our control line.

The Blackhawk helicopters continue to assist firefighters on the ground by making water drops with their 700-gallon "bambi buckets."

A Chinook helicopter, capable of holding 2,000 gallons of water, is now also assisting with the water drops.

These water drops have been instrumental in the suppression of the Sleeper Lake fire.

The National Guard will be at the Luce County Fairgrounds today from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m.

The public can visit and speak with a pilot, mechanics and ground support and view the Blackhawk helicopters.

County Road 407 remains closed from Halfway Lake to Pine Stump Junction, and evacuation orders remain in effect.

M-123 is open and construction has been completed; however, the 25 mile-an-hour speed limit is still in effect.

SIZE: 18,574 acres. 50 percent contained.

LOCATION: Luce County, north of the Village of Newberry. The south line is a dozer line between M-123 and County Road 407, northern line is east of Pine Stump Junction, the east line runs along a portion of M-123 and the west line runs parallel to County Road 407.

RESOURCES: We have over 220 fire personnel and numerous cooperating agencies on this fire including: Michigan DNR, Minnesota DNR, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, US Fish and Wildlife Service, US Forest Service, Michigan National Guard, The Nature Conservancy, Wisconsin DNR, Michigan State Police, Luce County Sheriff’s Department, National Weather Service, numerous Volunteer Fire Departments, Salvation Army, American Red Cross and keymen firefighters working for Michigan DNR.

AIR SUPPORT: Four Blackhawk helicopters and one Chinook helicopter from the National Guard in Camp Grayling are assisting as well as Michigan DNR detection aircraft and a heli-torch from Ontario, Canada.

WEATHER: The forecast for Saturday calls for temperatures in the low to mid 80s, 50 percent humidity and 12 to 15 mile-an-hour winds from the south. Clouds will increase in the afternoon and evening and we'll have a chance of showers this evening and tomorrow morning.

A statewide toll-free phone line is available with regularly updated information. That number is 877-261-3473. Information about the Sleeper Lake Fire is regularly posted on the DNR website: www.michigan.gov/dnr

************************* PHOTO CAPTION: Sleeper Lake fire smoke plume as seen fron downtown Newberry.