Smoke plumes from Ontario fires visible in Metro Detroit
Smoke plumes visible on Sunday in Metro Detroit likely emanated from a marsh fire on Squirrel Island, said the Walpole Island Fire Department in Ontario, Canada.
The fire is one of about 15 on Walpole Island since Thursday, Chief Bob Smith told The News. It's burning in a remote area on the far southeast end of Squirrel Island, not close to any of the other fires. He estimated it was about 30%-40% contained by late Sunday afternoon.
The fire remained under investigation.
"It's going through one of our large marshy areas," Smith said.
A meteorologist for the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy posted midday on X that a "strong updraft" was creating an "overshooting top" on smoke plumes visible from Armada, Michigan, which is north of Lake St. Clair. Wind speeds on Walpole Island reached 22 kilometers per hour as of 6 p.m., according to Canada's weather service, which is about 13.6 mph. Wind speeds, blowing north, have been between 15 and 21 kph since noon.
The fires have not caused any injuries, destroyed any homes or prompted evacuation orders, Smith said. Though the causes remain under investigation, they appear to have been human-caused, with no lightning strikes or other natural occurrences, according to Smith.
The fire department said on Facebook on Sunday evening: "Most of the time, the cause of the fire is undetermined. For the most part it's people with lighters. This is unfortunate because where this fire is located, we have very limited access with our fire trucks."
The area of Squirrel Island is accessible only by one road, Smith said.
He said the Fire Department has gotten calls about smoke visible between Chatham and Windsor, Ontario.
jcardi@detroitnews.com
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Smoke plumes from Ontario fires visible in Metro Detroit
