The number of burned acres remained at this figure throughout the week as firefighters fought to contain the blaze with the assistance of heavy machinery and helicopters. After the fire line was established, incident commanders coordinating the operation reduced crews, leaving 200 firefighters in the Mio area. While many firefighters returned to their home stations due to the state's extreme fire danger, many of the personnel from other states left for Minnesota where forest fires continue to burn today. Nilsson said officials expect to declare the fire under control today. Throughout the weekend, crews will monitor the charred remains and begin rehabilitating a few areas next week.
Foresters intend to replant some of the burned areas and to harvest many trees.
There are a lot of trees that need to be cut down because they are not very stable after the fire. Firefighters monitoring the fire zone remain wary of the area's extreme fire danger, which will decrease only with several days of rain or the forest greening. We are at an extreme level, which is the highest we can go in terms of forest fire danger. Carol Nilsson of the National Forest Service said the Native American firefighters are experts at stomping out fires. Officials flew them to Northeast Michigan to make sure one of the largest currently burning fires in the nation is controlled by the end of the week and before the firefighters services are needed elsewhere.