A Wisconsin logging company will be billed $600,000 for starting the Germann Road Fire that burned 7,442 acres and 17 homes in Douglas County in May. The Department of Natural Resources said Ray Duerr Logging of Rib Lake was negligent in starting the fire with the cutting head on the harvesting equipment and allowing it to spread into adjacent vegetation.

When the DNR and insurance company investigators tested the company’s firefighting equipment water just dribbled out because it had not been maintained.

Our original article about the fire has even more excellent photos taken by the DNR.