Wildfire forces shutdown of Staircase area of Olympic National Park near Lake Cushman

The Staircase area of Olympia National Park is closed due to a wildfire in the Olympic National Forest.

On Sunday, July 6, a human-caused fire was reported in the area. The so-called the Bear Gulch Fire is burning on a steep, rocky slope near the Mount Rose Trailhead along the Lake Cushman Corridor, which is Forest Service Road 24, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

On Monday, the forest service reported the fire is approximately 200 acres. There is no current threat to structures or nearby communities.

Due to the steep and rocky terrain, scoopers and helicopters have used water from Lake Cushman to mitigate the spread. Two 20-person handcrews and four interagency engines are responding to accessible areas near FS-24 and the lower ends of the fire. A Type 3 Incident Management Team and additional crews will join the effort Tuesday.

The following recreation sites are inaccessible:

• Staircase Area and Campground (in Olympic National Park)
• Bear Gulch Day Use Area
• Mount Rose Trailhead
• Dry Creek Trailhead
• Copper Creek Trailhead

For updates on the Bear Gulch Fire, visit the Olympic National Forest website and follow @olympicforest on social media.