The largest wildfire in Wisconsin in 33 years has been 100% contained, according to fire officials battling the Germann Road Fire near Barnes, Wisconsin. While the fire is fully contained, crews still face several days of work, putting out small hotspots including piles of smoldering debris and stumps that could otherwise rekindle.

The fire, which started southwest of Barnes earlier this week, and has burned over 9,000 acres of land including 47 structures. Of those 47 structures, 17 were homes, 15 garages, and the remainder are various outbuildings. Fire crews have managed to save 77 additional buildings that were threatened by the fire. Some of those buildings saved were a matter of mere feet from burn lines in surrounding grass.

The Wisconsin DNR has set up a hotline which residents potentially impacted by the Germann Road Fire in Douglas County can call to learn about the status of their homes and property. The phone number, 715-376-4185, will connect residents directly to Incident Command where staff are prepared to help update them regarding the status of buildings on their property. The hotline is staffed from 8 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.

As crews continue to work on extinguishing hotspots, the investigation of what started the blaze will begin. As of right now, the official cause is undetermined. Below we have a map of the impacted area, as well as photos from around the perimeter of the fire.

UPDATE: 05/16/13 12:18 pm - Cause of the fire determined and confirmed - (Click here for details).

Map of Barnes, WI Wildfire After Containment (05/16/13)

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Full-size PDF map (here)

Other wildfires are burning in various places in Minnesota, including one near Red Lake, Camp Ripley, Virginia, Salo, Sturgeon Lake, and Hinckley. Fire danger levels are still high across Minnesota and Wisconsin, and extra care is urged. Many places have total burning bans, while others have restrictions. Before any sort of planned fire, people are asked to check the latest restrictions. You can see the latest Minnesota information here, and the latest Wisconsin information here.

Current Fire Danger Map (05/16/13)

MN/WI DNR
MN/WI DNR
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