Helicopter called in to put out Wednesday fire in Capitol Forest

The highest point in Capitol State Forest caught fire on Wednesday, threatening homes and thousands of trees.

The Department of Natural Resources along with local crews spent all morning and afternoon battling to keep the fire from spreading through the forest.

Around 9 a.m., someone walking in Capitol State Forest saw smoke emanating from Capitol Peak, the highest point in the Black Hills at 2,664 feet. The person then called 911 and the Department of Natural Resources was sent in.

The fire had started in a slash pile of twigs, branches and other forest debris, DNR spokesperson Janet Pearce told The Olympian. When crews arrived, they found the flames had already burned an acre of land and the fire was quickly moving towards the forest’s trees.

Getting to Capitol Peak is tricky because it is only accessible by twisting, sometimes unpaved logging roads. So, to slow the spread of the fire, DNR crews requested aerial support along with additional assistance from local fire departments.

West Thurston Fire Authority sent chiefs and firefighters to help put out the fire while a helicopter dumped water on the site to slow its spread, said West Thurston Fire Authority Captain Lanette Dyer.

By afternoon, crews were able to contain the fire to 1.5 acres, and prevented it from reaching the trees. According to Pearce, crews were lucky the wind didn’t pick up because there had been red flag warnings in the area, signaling high heat, low humidity and strong winds.

DNR spent until the late evening putting out hot spots on the peak. The state agency is now investigating the cause of the fire.

This story was originally published August 12, 2021 at 11:19 AM.