K.I. SAWYER, Mich. (WZMQ) – Firefighting aircraft have landed in Marquette County this week to assist in any wildfire activity around the Upper Peninsula during an extreme fire warning period.
Four planes contracted through both the Michigan DNR and U.S. Forest Service are currently sitting in preparation at the Marquette Sawyer Regional Airport general aviation strip. The fleet includes two CL-215 ‘Super Scoopers’ and two Fire Boss aircraft, a new addition for the Michigan DNR.
“We do understand that the fire risk is very high up here, so it’s a big team effort,” said CL-215 Captain Scott Blue of Bridger Aerospace, contracted through the Forest Service. “We coordinate with the teams on the ground to nip the fires in the bud before they get very large.”
All four aircrafts are equipped with small probes that scoop hundreds of gallons of water per second. Both Fire Bosses can carry 800 gallons, and the CL-215s can take 1,400 gallons, or 6 tons of water per load.
Blue and his team flew from Phoenix, AZ, landing in Marquette County on Wednesday. He says he’s unsure of how long they’ll be around the area, but will stay busy as much as needed.
“We’ve prepositioned here just in case some fires pop up. We’re ready to go and on call for fires like any fireman would be at a fire station,” he said.
Extra aircraft from lower Michigan and Minnesota are also able to assist the area if needed.
“The Great Lakes region is sitting pretty good with aircraft capable of helping with fire suppression, so that definitely helps us out this time of year,” said Marquette DNR Fire Management Specialist, Keith Murphy.
Updates and more information on fire warnings can be found at michigan.gov.
