The Goat Rocks Fire, located within the Cowlitz Valley Ranger District about 7 miles northeast of Packwood, increased in size Friday as weather patterns shifted, according to the Forest Service.
“An unstable atmosphere associated with a red flag warning led to rapid growth of the fire. The fire is now estimated to be approximately 40–80 acres in size with the potential to grow larger in the next few days,” Gifford Pinchot National Forest wrote in a post on Facebook.
The fire was first noticed around Aug. 9. At that time, a crew of six firefighters repelled from helicopters into the fire and worked to contain the blaze with the help of helicopter water drops, according to the Forest Service.
Firefighters were able to work 60% of the fire. The remaining 40% of the fire is located in steep, rocky areas that are unsafe to put firefighters into. Firefighters have been checking on the fire daily with little smoke visible, according to the Forest Service.
To help ensure the safety of the public, the Forest Service has temporarily closed Forest Road 4612 and Trail #65 leading to Bluff Lake.
“Please respect these closures as fire crews work to contain the fire,” the forest service wrote.
Smoke from the fire can be seen from Packwood and U.S.Highway 12.
For further updates, visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/giffordpinchot/alerts-notices.
