McEwan Fire almost fully contained

Matt Baide | Jul 13, 20230

The McEwan Fire that began July 4 is now 85% contained, according to a Wednesday update from Central Mason Fire and EMS.

According to the news release, 232 acres have burned and the fire has slowly been contained by crews. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

As of 7 a.m. Wednesday, the fire had been turned over to a state Department of Natural Resources team that will continue to manage the burned area, which continues to show heat pockets with some smoke and potential for flare-ups.

Crews will work to mitigate the heat sources by using hand crews and an excavator to dig up and cool certain areas.

“This is a slow and tedious process that can take a long time to complete,” the news release states. “This process will continue until crews are sure the fire area is completely cooled with no interior burning.”

East McEwan Prairie Road is open and there are no closures in the area. There is a level 1 evacuation alert, which covers the areas of Evergreen Drive, Oak Park, Rainbow Lake, Little Bear Lane, McEwan Road, John’s Prairie Road from Batstone Cut-Off to Route 3, and the Hiawatha neighborhood.

Crews will continue to use McEwan Prairie Road as an access point to the fire, and people are asked to drive slowly through the area and watch out for emergency vehicles and crews.