Eagle Harbor Fire called out to top of Mount Baldy

Eight members of the Eagle Harbor Fire Department were forced to lug equipment along the several mile route to Mount Baldy over the weekend. Transportation was only possible to the trail barriers near the parking area at the Helmut and Candis Stern Nature Preserve. The firefighters used the department’s brush truck and a Jeep to get that far, before hiking the rest of the way, gear in tow.

They had been called out for a fire at the remote peak, which turned out to be a campfire. Chief Mike Radigan says there is signage on the trail that fires of any kind are prohibited. The flames in question were extinguished with a portable water pack and hand shovels, without incident, but the department is warning against a repeat of the behavior. 

Mt. Baldy is almost always windy, making it easy for a campfire to turn into a blaze. With dry conditions at the northern end of Keweenaw County, that makes the worst case scenario even more likely. 

Eagle Harbor first responders were on standby throughout, and greeted the firefighters with cold water at the base of the hill when they finished their descent.