Crews are battling the Bear Gulch Fire in a heat wave. What it could mean
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- The Bear Gulch Fire has burned 8,500 acres in the Olympic National Forest and Park.
- Firefighting crews are facing a heat wave, which is expected to increase fire behavior.
- There’s a heat advisory and red-flag warning in place through Monday.
A recent heat wave is expected to increase fire behavior over the next few days as crews continue to battle the estimated 8,500-acre Bear Gulch Fire burning in Olympic National Forest and Olympic National Park, officials said Saturday.
“Firefighters have been preparing for active fire behavior and the compounding effects of the hot and dry weather,” according to the latest update from the multi-agency incident response team, which includes the Washington State Department of Natural Resources, the U.S. Forest Service and others.
A week ago, two inches of rain fell on the fire. Now, there’s a heat advisory and red-flag warning in place through Monday and no rain forecast through next Wednesday, officials said.
Hot and dry conditions already resulted in increased fire activity on Friday, a day when helicopters dropped nearly 89,000 gallons of water on the fire area, according to officials.
The blaze, which began July 6 on the north side of Lake Cushman near Mount Rose in Olympic National Forest, is 11% contained. It has caused extensive closures to roads, trails and campgrounds in the forest and national park, and forced evacuations.
The U.S. Forest Service is currently investigating the cause of the fire and seeking tips from the public. Anyone with information can contact the agency’s tipline at 541-618-2154 or send an email to SM.FS.R6TipHotLine@usda.gov with the subject line, “Bear Gulch.”
