DUNCAN TOWNSHIP — A man from Wisconsin died in the area’s first fatal snowmobile accident of the new year.

According to a release from the Houghton County Sheriff’s Office, the mishap occurred shortly before 5 p.m. Sunday. The accident occurred on Trail 8 in Houghton County’s Duncan Township between M-38 and Kitchie Point Road.

According to the release, the driver of the snowmobile, a 63 year old Wisconsin man, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Deputies said that speed and alcohol are believed to have been factors in the crash.

The Houghton County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the Michigan State Police, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, the Duncan Township Fire Department, Bay Ambulance and Dynamite Towing.

The name of the victim has not been released. State police at the Negaunee Regional Communications Center said they believe the fatality is the first in the Upper Peninsula in 2025.