The behavior of the Goat Rocks Fire near Packwood was significantly reduced Saturday after the Forst Service reported “rapid growth” on Friday.
High humidity and cloud cover throughout early Saturday slowed the spread of the fire, located about 7 miles northeast of Packwood, according to a news release.
The size of the fire is currently estimated to be 50 acres.
“Most of the active fire spread occurred yesterday and throughout last night,” Gifford Pinchot National Forest reported on Facebook Saturday. “The fire appears to have spread down slope, primarily on the eastern flank into the headwaters of Lava Creek. The current fire behavior is creeping, smoldering and spreading through roll out of burning logs. Fire behavior over the next few days is anticipated to be moderate due to greater moisture recovery at night and cloud cover early in the day.”
Three helicopters were assigned to the fire Saturday to assist with fire suppression efforts.
A closure order had been put in place for Forest Road 4612 and Trail #65 leading the Bluff Lake.
“These closures have been put in place for the safety of the public,” according to the Forest Service. “No additional trail and road closures are planned at this time, but this could change if conditions warrant further action. Please remember that fire growth can be unpredictable. Trails and roads can be quickly overrun with fire, so adherence to existing closure orders is very important.”
The fire remains highly visible from U.S. Highway 12 and Packwood. The public is being asked to not park their vehicles in a moving lane of traffic to observe the fire.
“Currently, the greatest risk to the public is distracted drivers stopping to observe the fire,” according to the Forest Service. “Please also be reminded that fire restrictions are currently in place on the Gifford Pinchot National Forest and within Lewis County. Law enforcement has had to ask dozens of forest users to extinguish their campfires over the past 24 hours. Do your part and refrain for lighting campfires while conditions are ripe for wildfire spread.”
