Firefighters battle woods fire.

Firefighters battle woods fire.

By Allison Scarbrough, Editor.

PENTWATER TOWNSHIP — Firefighters from Pentwater, Hart and Mason County’s Riverton Township, along with the Department of Natural Resources, battled a woods fire for several hours Sunday, Nov. 8, across the road from the Pentwater VFW in the 8400 block of Business Route US 31.

Firefighters were back on the scene Monday morning, Nov. 9, making sure the scene didn’t rekindle by hitting “hot spots,” said Pentwater Fire Chief Paul Smith.

Unusually warm weather coupled with dry conditions increase the threat of grass fires and woods fires. “It’s bone dry out here,” said Chief Smith. “And this warm weather is not normal for November.”

No structures were damaged nor was anyone injured in the 16-acre fire. “It was a hilly terrain, which made it hard to get to,” said the chief. “We put in a lot of man hours going up and down hills.” The DNR bull dozed a trail around it to contain the area.

A house was threatened by the blaze, but luckily leaves were cleaned up near the house and a retaining wall protected it, he said.

The fire, which extended from the cemetery to the tennis club, was toned out shortly before 6 a.m. The last firefighters cleared the scene around 5 p.m.

Over 20 firefighters were on the scene Sunday with five returning Monday. “We’ll be here the next couple hours,” said Smith. “We don’t want rekindles.”

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