Few details were available, as crews remained at the business on U.S 41 in Carney late into the night.

The fire started early afternoon when a piece of equipment caught fire and it spread to nearby logs and lumber in the yard, according to reports. Information from multiple sources indicated an employee operating the equipment was killed in the fire, but that could not be confirmed by press time.

Roughly 30 agencies from Menominee, Dickinson and Delta counties in Michigan, plus Marinette County in Wisconsin, were enlisted to help douse the logs and lumber in the yard to keep the fire from expanding further. Tankers had to bring in water from nearby Powers.

About six crews remained on site.

Crews pour water on a fire that got into logs and timber in a yard at Superior Cedar Products in Carney. (Submitted photo)

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Thursday evening declared a state of emergency for Menominee County, at the county’s request. It makes available all state resources in cooperation with local response and recovery efforts in the designated area. It also authorizes Michigan State Police, Emergency Management and Homeland Security Division to coordinate with other member states of an Interstate Emergency Management Assistance Compact, including Wisconsin, to use available resources.

Though more than 100 firefighters in the region responded, established a perimeter and contained the blaze, “this emergency will demand an ongoing response for many hours,” state officials said.

“Right now, it is an all-hands-on-deck effort to contain the blaze to ensure that we protect life and property, and prevent this fire from spreading further,” Whitmer said in a statement, adding, “I want to thank the brave first responders who rushed to the scene for their incredible sacrifices.”