FIRE GIVES REBIRTH TO ALGONAC STATE PARK
by Dave Ponke

It took about 20 fire departments nearly 12 hours to completely put out the Algonac State Park fire, back in the fall of 1999, keeping most firefighters there overnight and into the early morning hours. And there were hot spots that sprouted in the day after, too, that needed dousing.

I knew right from square one that this would be an interesting battle, no question.

When the first call from dispatch went out at around 4:30 PM, Lt. (and now Captain) Ed Fowke and I responded to the area to the south of the state park, near a road that runs off of M-29 called Greenwood. Ed was driving the rescue unit and I was the passenger and radio-man.

As we rounded the bend on M-29 about a half-mile from the scene, we could see a decent header, also known as visible smoke from the fire origin. (Actually a header often has a way of increasing a firefighter's already racing heart rate another, oh, 30 to 65 percent on average!)

"It's a good one," remarked Ed, to which I quickly agreed with something basic like "holy smokes" or "that's for sure!"

As Ed drove onto Greenwood, about a quarter-mile to the west off the highway, and stopped at the eastern edge of the state park land, we could see the wind literally whipping the orange-and-red flames that measured, oh, maybe, 30 feet by 50 feet, into the air. The blaze danced skyward at heights of perhaps 20 feet, quickly rolling over the dried grasses, tiny trees and cattails; and Ed and I agreed we needed to act fast.

The fire was about 100 feet from the rescue unit, and Ed prepared it to pump water as I grabbed the nozzle attached to 100 feet of hoseline. I trudged into the marshy muck, which I soon realized would be my worst enemy. As I approached the fire from about 50 feet away, I opened up the nozzle and let burst welcome spray of abundant water, and was able to knock down a respectable chunk of fire.

But the wind responded back. And with a vicious frenzy!

I could overhear Ed on my portable radio calling in to dispatch for mutual aid, from neighboring fire departments Algonac and Ira Township. We knew we would have help from our department arriving soon, but Ed, as he later pointed out, knew that this fire was about to present a unique challenge.

The muddy marshy muck prevented me from advancing the hoseline any further; I was literally stuck almost to my knees in the sticky mess! I radioed this information to Ed, and retreated to our unit.

It was from that moment on, the state park fire took on a course of action that made it appear possessed at times.

Departments soon arrived from across the area and Chief Rick Edler eventually was back into town from business and came to the scene. He became the "officer-in-charge" and found himself running the show, directing the fire departments as to what they should do.

The high winds and unusually dry conditions made for the huge challenge. The blaze was like an unwelcome epidemic, spreading to the north, then west, and then east, towards the state park campsites. It quickly gobbled up tinder-dry plants like a hungry wolf in a henhouse.

Firefighters were strategically placed in positions by Chief Edler; some protecting the handful of homes that lay in the path of the fire (all of which were saved) while other swere at various vantage points. Some hoselines were aimed at hot spots; bulldozers eventually pushed soil onto the leading edge of the flames to help smother it.

Firefighters worked long into the night. Embattled troops rested near the command post, which included EMS personnel, the Red Cross (offering beverages and snacks) and the media. (I later realized when I saw this fire on CNN that it was a "big one"!)

Tremendous amounts of energy went into this blaze from each and every firefighter, which numbered about 100.

Perhaps the irony to this is the aftermath.

The scorched land afterwards resembled a sad battlefield; smoking blackened plants were mere stubs embedded into the earth; only a shadow of the meadows of flowers and trees that had occupied the same space.

But within a week or so, something unique unfolded. Tiny green plants began to emerge from the earth. Sprouting upwards, it wasn't long before a rejuvenated and bright green landscape appeared. The fire injected a new life into the land, and the Algonac State Park experienced a dramatic rebirth!

As crazy as it sounds I "live" to be involved in a fire of this size. I guess it is a bit tough to describe some of the emotions that race through my body when I am right there in the center of the action.

Being a volunteer firefighter is, well, to be honest, is a mixture of a fun hobby, a sensational adrenaline rush, a load of satisfaction, a great deal of team camaraderie and the feeling of knowing, deep down inside, that I have made (somewhat) of a difference. A difference, that is, in a situation that may have otherwise continued to worsen and become more critical than before my "team" arrived.

When the idea of what experience do I "remember" the most or perhaps recall as being the "most exciting," the Algonac State Park Fire certainly does rate at the top of that list.

I was there, with my team, the Clay Township Mainland Fire Department. This was what you term a prolific, or historic, fire. The final tally showed around 100 acres of grassland, various plants and flowers and wooded area were scorched in the gusty winds, but I would have agreed to a sum of 1000 acres considering the energy it took to extinguish!