The Miriam fire on Aug. 3, seen from Overlook.
WHITE PASS, Wash. -- Firefighters anticipate dry, gusty winds Friday, following days of hot and arid weather, will worsen the spread of the Miriam Fire, which was at more than 1,900 acres Thursday.
Possible thunderstorms could ignite more fires. Lightning from a Saturday thunderstorm sparked a 5-acre fire near White Pass, which is burning slowly in the area around Shoe Lake, Clear Fork and Pacific Crest trails in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest.
The Clear Fork Fire was discovered Wednesday and will be managed by Miriam Fire personnel.
Winds are expected to be 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 35 mph.
The fire was at least 9 percent contained Thursday and about 344 people were on scene, including six 20-person crews, three helicopters, 25 engines and two bulldozers.
Weather conditions are blamed for increasing the fire by nearly 600 acres or 44 percent from Wednesday to Thursday.
The Miriam Fire closed a 12-mile stretch of the Pacific Crest from Tieton Pass to White Pass earlier this week and a detour was established. But on Thursday, the detour was closed by the latest fire and a third detour was established. For details go to https://bit.ly/2vU51A8
The cost of fighting the lightning-sparked fire since it began July 31 was estimated at $3.7 million Thursday, according to the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center.
