Burning Banned on Island

With the 80-plus degree temperatures that the Island has seen for more than a week, the Mackinac Island Fire Department has issued a ban on burn permits until further notice, which means that because of dryness, no open fires will be allowed anywhere on the Island. Fire Chief Dennis Bradley said this is the first step to preventing fires when the weather is this hot.

Fire danger, he said, is extremely high on the Island because the woods are unusually dry. If there is no rain in the next week, he said, conditions could be hazardous.

“Forest fires are always a concern here,” he said, adding that the Island has been fortunate. He said that there are areas on the Island that create natural breaks, where a fire would not be able to spread, however, he added, that a fire on the Island that could result from these conditions could be potentially devastating.

Camping and fires are not allowed in the Mackinac Island State Park, which encompasses about 80 percent of the Island.

Carriage drivers are asked to be on the lookout for areas in the woods that are extremely dry or for any fires that they might see. Chief Bradley said that carriage drivers should also be telling their customers not to smoke while they are in the woods and that all residents and visitors should exercise caution during these hot and dry conditions.