Michigan wildfire destroys nearly 100 buildings

In this Saturday, May 26, 2012 photo provided by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, a wildfire burns in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. The fire that began last week has burned 95 structures, with a third of them being homes or cabins. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources said Monday, May 28, 2012, that the Duck Lake Fire has burned more than 22,000 acres, or 34 square miles, in Luce County. (AP Photo/Michigan Department of Natural Resources)

In this Saturday, May 26, 2012 photo provided by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, a wildfire burns in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. The fire that began last week has burned 95 structures, with a third of them being homes or cabins. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources said Monday, May 28, 2012, that the Duck Lake Fire has burned more than 22,000 acres, or 34 square miles, in Luce County. (AP Photo/Michigan Department of Natural Resources)

NEWBERRY, Mich. (AP) ? Homes and cabins make up a third of the nearly 100 structures destroyed by a wildfire burning across more than 30 square miles of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, officials said Monday.

The lost property includes Pike Lake Resort near Pike Lake in Luce County.

"I was still hoping that they would stop it," owner Diane Ricketts said of the fire. "With my husband gone, I'm not going to rebuild. We're just going to go on and take it day by day and see what's going to happen."

The Duck Lake Fire began with a lightning strike last week and burned more than 22,000 acres, or 34 square miles, but was 51 percent contained by Monday, according to the Department of Natural Resources.

Parts of Michigan are extremely dry and thirsty for rain. Fireworks and outdoor burning are banned in 49 of the state's 83 counties, especially in northern Michigan.

The DNR said 95 structures have been destroyed, including 34 homes or cabins. No injuries have been reported.

Fire managers explained the firefighting effort to about 200 people Sunday in Newberry, a community closest to the fire, 75 miles northwest of the Mackinac Bridge. The strategy includes aircraft dumping water.

"I didn't know what to expect," said Dennis Nezich, a DNR spokesman. "People were very polite, they listened."

Associated Press

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