METRO DETROIT (WWJ) - Cigarettes, cottonwood seeds, construction equipment on concrete, and outdoor grilling -- firefighters in Michigan are finding that anything and everything can ignite as unprecedented dry weather conditions persist for the third straight week.
Michigan is at an "extreme" or "very high" risk for wildfires, the state Department of Natural Resources warned this week after the last measurable rainfall occurred more than a month ago.
"It has been a very dry spring, and we want people to know, you know: Do not have fires outside right now," Whitmer said on Monday. "It's just that things are too dry, and it could be a very dangerous situation."
In Ann Arbor, firefighters determined a layer of cottonwood seeds caught fire and spread a blaze to three houses on Eden Court in the Bryant Neighborhood on June 1st.
According to the fire department, a fire originally engulfed a two-story home and was fully involved by the time crews arrived at the scene around 5 p.m.
While crews aggressively battled back the fire, the flames popped up in the backyard and spread to three other homes to the bewilderment of officials.
“It was kind of overwhelming at one point trying to figure out what was causing this fire the way that it spread through the neighborhood,” Ann Arbor Battalion Fire Chief Matthew Hughes said.
The flames continued to fan out, igniting toys, yards, bushes and grass. By the time it was brought under control, the home where the fire started had sustained significant damage.
The cause of the blaze remains under investigation, but fire officials finally pieced together how the blaze jumped and set fire to the other homes and even started a small wildfire.
"In a very unusual factor, there was a significant layer of cottonwood pollen around the fire building which spread the fire to three adjacent houses causing minor exterior damage along with setting a large woodland area on fire," the Ann Arbor Fire Department said.
Hughes said in his three decades on the job, he's never seen anything like it.
In neighboring Saline, fire crews were called out to the scene of a large fire outside of Rock Paper Scissors that closed down Michigan Ave. in the downtown area the evening of Wednesday, June 7th.
Multiple departments responded to the scene after the fire was reported to have started in a flower bed and then quickly moved to ignite the storefront.
Luckily, the fire was extinguished within minutes of crews arriving before it spread anywhere else.
The cause? A discarded cigarette butt that was found when crews removed a pillar that had sustained fire damage.
"While investigating; discarded cigarette butts were found at the base of the pillar in the mulch. It is believed that the fire was started from a cigarette that was discarded into the mulch bed that then traveled into the void behind the pillar before the fire was noticed," the department said. "The fire department is asking residents to please properly dispose of cigarette butts, as multiple are littered in the road, sidewalk, and mulched flower beds in the area."
On the state's west side, Grand Rapids firefighters have spent the last three days battling a trio of fires that started from outdoor BBQ grills.
There were no injuries reported, but fire crews said the blazes displaced 13 people who are being assisted by the American Red Cross.
"The estimated loss to the two homes and garage totals over $330,000," the fire department said.
GRFD Fire Prevention Division recommends the following tips to help prevent and contain the spread of fires from grills:
• Keep a 3 foot Safe zone around your Grill, make sure all connections and hoses are in good repair and not leaking prior to use
• Don’t use a grill on a combustible deck (wood, synthetic), keep at least grills at least 10 feet away from structures
• Open your gas grill prior to lighting
• Never leave any grill unattended while it is in operation, guard against unwanted contact from pets and children
• Clean your grill after each use, this will remove grease accumulation that can start a fire. Make sure any grease traps in your appliance are also cleaned periodically
• Discard coals from your grill in a metal can with a lid once they have cooled. The container should be placed away from combustible / flammable materials.