6/10/07 - Potterville pallet yard fire, 4400 Shance

On Sunday, June 10, 2007, when the Benton Township Fire Department was dispatched to an early evening grass fire, they had no idea they would be confronting a fire that would require the largest mobilization of fire department resources in recent history. This grass fire extended into a large pallet yard creating a fire of such intensity that it created Pyrocumulus clouds (first two photos). Nearly every fire department in 2 counties responded to this operation that would require days to finally extinguish. When water resources from Benton Twp's home county of Eaton were not enough to meet the demand, command requested the activation of the Ingham County Tanker Task Force which brought tankers from as far away as Stockbridge, nearly a 45 mile response. Aerial operations and master streams were put in place to protect buildings on the site while front end loaders were used to knock down stacks of pallets and move them away from exposures. Tankers shuttled water from nearby Potterville, but drained the water tower after several hours of operation and had to go another 6 miles to neighboring Charlotte. The fire extended to large mounds of wood mulch which continued to smolder for days, requiring a coordinated response by rotating mutual aid departments to continuously wet down the piles.