Crews are battling a wildfire near Mountain in Oconto County, Oct. 8, 2024. PC: Fox 11 Online
MOUNTAIN, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Crews have contained a wildfire that broke out Tuesday afternoon in Oconto County and burned approximately 26 acres of woods.
The “Bear Paw” fire began around 2 p.m. in a remote wooded area near Lower Dam Road by Mountain.
The Wisconsin DNR and local fire departments worked to suppress the fire.
“We’ll be out here tonight [Tuesday], still mopping up, until we are comfortable with where we’re at for containment. We’ll have units on scene until the fire is completely out,” said Richard Lietz with the DNR’s Peshtigo Area forestry team.
Lietz said officials suspect lightning caused the fire, but an investigation is still underway. The Mountain Fire Department said Tuesday night it burned about 26 acres of woods.
“We’re very fortunate it was in a remote area, part of the national forest. And so no structures were threatened and no people were affected by it,” Lietz said.
On Monday, the DNR warned of high fire danger statewide in the aftermath of a 6.5-acre wildfire that broke out in Adams County at Roche-A-Cri State Park. It has since been contained.
According to the DNR, increased fire danger can be attributed to our severe lack of precipitation throughout the past few weeks. As of Tuesday evening, more than half of Wisconsin’s counties were in the “high” fire danger category, with Oconto and Marinette counties listed as “very high.”
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