News Photo by Steve Schulwitz Alpena Township firefighter Luke Meissner scrubs the department’s special brush fire rig while at work on Wednesday. Northeast Michigan is under a no-burn order because of the risk of grass and brush fires.

ALPENA — People burning the fallen trees, branches, and other debris left over from the recent ice storm risk starting large fires and receiving fines.

Currently, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources has a no-burn order in place for most of the northern lower peninsula, including Alpena, Alcona, Montmorency, Presque Isle, and other counties.

The DNR updates its burning status daily at 10 a.m. every day at dnr.state.mi.us/burnpermits.

This time of year is when local fire departments respond to the most grass and brush fires, and some local fire officials fear that illegal burning of the remnants of the debris in people’s yards could spark larger fires that threaten property, structures, and the safety of others.

Alpena Township Fire Chief Tim Baker said he understands people want to dispose of their yard debris, but he said they should not burn it and instead drop it off at a designated drop-off site on Airport Road today and on other days it is open, after the holiday weekend. The township and Alpena County will announce an updated schedule when people can drop off their brush.

Baker said a lack of snow and mixture during the winter has created conditions that are dry and ripe for fires. He said the township fire department has already responded to several brush fires and fears more are on the horizon, especially if there is illegal burning taking place. Baker said it is safer to just drop it off at the designated drop-off point.

“Drop it off and let somebody else deal with it,” he said. “Don’t burn it, because if a fire does get out of control, with the dry conditions we have and the strong winds we have, it is going to take off and there is nothing that is going to get in its way.”

For many weeks, the Alpena area was classified as being in severe drought by the U.S. Drought Monitor, but over the last two weeks, it has slipped to only being abnormally dry.

Alpena Township Supervisor Abbi Kaszubowski agreed with Baker about the present fire danger. She said in the spring, the township fire department responds to many brush fires, and if there is a significant increase in the wildfires, it would impact resources.

“Burning is a massive concern because we have limited resources, and if we have a big grass fire or forest fire, we have to call in additional resources, which leaves everyone scrambling to cover their own area,” Kaszubowski said. “Plus, grass fires often turn into structure fires, and that can cause more damage and use up more resources, especially if there is more than one at the same time.”

In Alpena, it is illegal for people to have a fire of any type in the city all year round. The city is currently utilizing its Department of Public Works and several contractors to pick up yard debris that people have piled in front of their properties. Alpena residents can also utilize the drop-off site near the airport.

Steve Schulwitz can be reached at 989-358-5689 or sschulwitz@TheAlpenaNews.com. Follow him on X @ss_alpenanews.com.