The Nation - News from May 11, 1987

Firefighters came close to controlling a 4,300-acre blaze in the Hiawatha National Forest, the largest of 40 fires that have charred more than 8,000 acres of Michigan timber, while two smaller blazes burned out of control in the Pacific Northwest. Meanwhile, forest rangers in Minnesota and North Dakota got some relief in their fire-spotting efforts when winds shifted, dissipating clouds of thick smoke from Canadian range fires that reduced visibility to as little as two miles and grounded aerial fire-watching missions. In the larger of the Pacific Northwest’s two fires, more than 1,700 acres were burned and one firefighter was injured about 12 miles south of Sweet Home, Ore.