15-acre wildfire scene, Thornapple Township. (Photo by WZZM 13's Chad Colton)
THORNAPPLE TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WZZM) -- Firefighters say someone setting off fireworks started a 15-acre fire on the Barry-Kent county line Tuesday.
The fire started around 3:30 p.m. Tuesday along Harris Creek Road near 108th Street in Thornapple Township, southeast of Caledonia.
Fire crews say a man was setting off fireworks, which sparked the fire in a grassy and wooded area. They say the man admitted to his role in causing the fire.
Other firefighters from Freeport, Hastings, Alto, Caledonia and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources responded to the fire. The Thornapple Township fire chief says they called in extra help to bring water to the remote location and to rotate firefighters because of the hot conditions.
The chief says the location of the fire was a challenge because it was deep in a wooded area. DNR bulldozers and brush trucks were used to reach the fire zone.
It took crews about 15 minutes to put out the fire once they reached it. Firefighters were remaining on scene to extinguish hot spots in the area.