In this day and age, who knows what horrible things can happen, but a controlled-burn fire being staged by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources in the Gourdneck State Game Area beginning earlier Wednesday afternoon is a planned event, according to the Portage Department of Public Safety.

Graphic: Portage MI Dept. of Public Safety
Graphic: Portage MI Dept. of Public Safety
loading...

The City of Portage has been notified that the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) intends to perform a prescribed fire – sometimes called a controlled burn – in the section of the Gourdneck State Game Area identified on the map below. These prescribed fires can only be conducted when the weather (wind, humidity, temperature, and cloud cover) meets certain specifications. Based on the weather, the DNR expects to conduct this burn TODAY beginning in the late afternoon. The goal of a prescribed fire is to control invasive species and underbrush, create critical habitat for wildlife and encourage new native growth in forested areas. Trained fire staff will use specialized equipment to light and control the fire. - Portage Department of Public Safety via Facebook.

One thing is for sure; no matter how hard you try to publicize events like this, there are still going to be people who are not sure of what's going on.

One woman on Facebook commented: "Were they planning on telling us about the burn in our backyard. This is 1st knowledge for me!"

The same thing has happened in the past few days with the flushing of hydrants in the city of Kalamazoo. Brown water sediment is causing some consternation among the population. Of course given the recent history of water in Michigan, those concerns are certainly understandable.

100.7 WITL logo
Get our free mobile app

If you do have a question for the Michigan DNR about this controlled-burn event, their phone number is (989) 965-3333.

LOOK: The most expensive weather and climate disasters in recent decades

Stacker ranked the most expensive climate disasters by the billions since 1980 by the total cost of all damages, adjusted for inflation, based on 2021 data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The list starts with Hurricane Sally, which caused $7.3 billion in damages in 2020, and ends with a devastating 2005 hurricane that caused $170 billion in damage and killed at least 1,833 people. Keep reading to discover the 50 of the most expensive climate disasters in recent decades in the U.S.

LOOK: What 25 Historic Battlefields Look Like Today

The following is an examination of what became of the sites where America waged its most important and often most brutal campaigns of war. Using a variety of sources, Stacker selected 25 historically significant battlefields in American history. For each one, Stacker investigated what happened there when the battles raged as well as what became of those hallowed grounds when the fighting stopped.

These are the battlefields that defined the United States military’s journey from upstart Colonial rebels to an invincible global war machine.

More From 100.7 WITL