Multiple fire departments respond to rural blaze off Supply Road

Multiple Grand Traverse County fire departments responded to a fire off Supply and Broomhead roads on May 28, and crews worked to bring the blaze under control in a part of the county where water access can quickly turn a small fire into a bigger emergency.

The rural response fits a pattern residents have seen before. On March 24, a house fire near Mayfield Road drew a large multi-agency response and shut down roads while crews used multiple tanker trucks to keep water flowing. Authorities said everyone was safe in that fire, but the scene showed how quickly a fire away from hydrants can demand help from across the county.

Grand Traverse County has also seen fires that spread over open ground. In May 2023, a wildfire in the Hoosier Valley area of Blair Township burned about five acres before crews got it under control just before 5 p.m. A Michigan Department of Natural Resources plane assisted in the response, and firefighters spent the next day putting out hotspots.

On Old Mission Peninsula in 2024, Peninsula Township Fire Chief Fred Gilstorff said neighbors reported smoke around 6:26 a.m. When crews arrived, they found a single-family residence fully involved in flames. Fire officials used that incident to reinforce a simple warning that still applies across Grand Traverse County: smoke detectors save lives.

The May 28 fire off Supply and Broomhead roads again showed the pressure rural departments face when a fire starts away from dense water service and close-in street access. Even without a large town nearby, the response can quickly become a countywide operation, with tankers, mutual aid and multiple crews needed to keep a blaze from spreading farther into homes, woods or farm property.