Michigan Forest Fires Destroy, Damage Homes and Buildings

Officials say teams are fighting to contain two wildfires that have consumed at least 15 square miles of Michigan’s northern Lower Peninsula.

The fires have destroyed or damaged at least 18 homes and 39 other buildings.

No injuries are reported, but a number of people remain evacuated.

The larger fire has burned 8,800 acres in Crawford County’s South Branch Township.

Crews are using heavy equipment to dig a line around the blaze, and about 90 percent of the perimeter had been encircled.

The second fire is about 25 miles away in Kalkaska County, and has covered about 1,000 acres, mostly within the Camp Grayling National Guard training complex.

It began with a deliberate burn but got out of control.