The Ridge and Craig Lake wildfires covered an estimated 565 acres in Marquette and Baraga counties as of Sunday evening, Oct. 11, forcing evacuations in Negaunee Township and drawing dozens of firefighters to rugged terrain.

The two fires were still active as of Sunday, Oct. 11, according to a Michigan Department of Natural Resources bulletin. The Ridge Fire in Negaunee Township was estimated at 256 acres, burning about 10 miles northwest of Marquette between County Road 510 and North Basin Drive. The Craig Lake Fire in Baraga County covered about 309 acres north of Craig Lake State Park, according to WNMU’s later Sunday update, which corrected the earlier 30-acre figure.

Rain showers forecast for Monday, Oct. 12, could ease conditions. Tom Kippen, a MyUPNow meteorologist, projected Sunday evening that showers would develop Monday evening and continue into Tuesday, Oct. 13, with the best chances for more than a quarter inch of rain in northern areas. A cold front on Tuesday is expected to drop highs back into the 50s and 60s after Monday highs in the mid-to-high 70s across the southern UP.

As we reported Oct. 9, the DNR had warned of dangerous fire conditions heading into the weekend. Wind gusts were forecast to reach up to 40 mph on Saturday, Oct. 10.

The DNR had 40 firefighters on the Ridge Fire and 12 on the Craig Lake Fire as of Sunday evening. Two Fire Boss aircraft from Minnesota and a Michigan State Police helicopter assisted with water drops. An incident management team was preparing to take over both fires.

"Public safety and firefighter safety remain our top priority," Keith Murphy of the DNR's Incident Command said in the agency's Sunday bulletin.

Three homes on County Road 510 had been evacuated because of the Ridge Fire, the DNR said Sunday. The Marquette County Sheriff's Office had established an evacuation center at Negaunee Township Hall, with the Red Cross expected to assist evacuees and their pets. Residents along North Basin Drive were on "Set" status in that bulletin, meaning they were told to load vehicles with emergency bags and be ready to leave.

The Noquemanon Trail system was reported closed Sunday west of the County Road 510 trailhead. A temporary flight restriction covered both fire areas for a 5-nautical-mile radius below 3,500 feet, and the DNR warned residents not to fly drones near the fires.

Beyond the two major blazes, WNMU reported several smaller fires Sunday. Its report identified fires south of Wakefield east of County Road 519, near Copper Peak and near Muskallonge Lake in Luce County.

The cause of both major fires was under investigation as of the Sunday DNR bulletin.