SOUTH BRANCH TOWNSHIP, Mich. – SOUTH BRANCH TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — 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 have been reported. Several residents remain evacuated from their homes.
A Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment spokeswoman says one fire has burned 8,800 acres in Crawford County, where crews are using heavy equipment to dig a line around the blaze to prevent it from spreading. Mary Detloff says about 90 percent of the perimeter had been encircled.
The other blaze is burning about 25 miles away in Kalkaska County, and has consumed about 1,000 acres.
It began when a deliberate burn got out of control.
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