Some Bingham Township residents may have seen smoke billowing up over Shady Lane at various times in the last week. Forest fires started in the area Oct. 11, and the Suttons Bay-Bingham Fire Department and Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) have been struggling to keep them from spreading further.
Suttons Bay-Bingham Fire Chief James Porter said the fire was contained Monday, but it will likely continue burning until the area gets some rain. Porter said the source of the fire was a nearby compost pile that overheated due to the unusually high temperatures and low humidity.
And when the compost ignited due to the heat, the strong winds that have been coming through the county recently carried the embers to a nearby tree line. According to Porter, local firefighters were also dispatched Oct. 12 and 16 to try to extinguish hot spots where the fire had spread.
