The 10-acre wildland fire burning 10 miles south of Packwood became visible from the highway, Randle and Packwood Wednesday.
The 10-acre wildland fire burning 10 miles south of Packwood became visible from the highway, Randle and Packwood Wednesday.
The 10-acre wildland fire burning 10 miles south of Packwood became visible from the highway, Randle and Packwood Wednesday.
The wildland fire burning 10 miles south of Packwood in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest has grown from 10 acres to more than 85 acres as of Friday afternoon.
The fire became visible from U.S. Highway 12 near Packwood and Randle on Wednesday, according to Ken Sandusky, a spokesperson for the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. While the fire only recently become visible from the towns, it is likely it started during the lightning storm on Sept. 8. That storm was responsible for starting hundreds of fires throughout the park. The fire was likely smoldering and burning, but was small enough to go unnoticed for the past week.
The only structure possibly threatened by the fire is a radio repeater near the summit of a mountain; however, it appears the fire is currently backing down from the point, Sandusky said.
The upcoming weather conditions will likely make the fire’s intensity die down and hinder the fire’s growth rate, he said. While there are lightning storms predicted in the next couple of days, the storm will bring some rain that may aid the firefighters’ efforts.
There are five dedicated firefighters working to contain the wildfire and they are dropping a lot of water on it from Packwood lake, approximately 60,000 gallons per helicopter trip, he said.
A campfire ban has been put in place for Gifford National Forest except for designated campgrounds, Sandusky said.
