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Firefighters started their journeys home Thursday as incident managers for the Goat Rocks Fire announced that recent precipitation and incoming weather systems are very likely season-ending events for wildland fires in the area.
Fire resources no longer needed for remaining fire suppression activities are being released from the incident, incident managers announced Thursday morning. Traffic is expected to be heavy in Packwood on Thursday as firefighters begin returning home to prepare for their next assignments. The brief break in weather between storm systems gave pilots an opportunity to move the four helicopters that had been stationed at the Packwood Airport to other locations, according to incident management.
Crews remaining on the Goat Rocks Fire patrolled areas along the fires’ perimeters where it was safe to do so on Wednesday and planned to continue that work Thursday. Crews planned to continue post-fire suppression cleanup, including removing the remaining equipment, flagging, and all other items left after the last weeks of firefighting, according to a Thursday morning update from the incident management team.
Thursday was forecast to be relatively dry, followed by several more days of rain.
As temperatures warm slightly and there is a pause in precipitation between storms, areas within the fires’ perimeters will continue to hold heat as fallen trees, stumps and thick duff continue to smolder, according to incident management.
“While there is a great amount of certainty that the fires will not become active again, interior fuels will continue to produce smoke and flames may be visible in the understory that is sheltered from light rains,” incident management stated in a Thursday morning news release.
Smoke and low-intensity flames are expected to continue until soils and fuels in the duff layer become saturated.
As of Thursday morning, the fire’s total footprint was 6,196 acres and it was 10% contained. The fire was sparked by a lightning strike on Aug. 9 and began to grow rapidly Sept. 9.
The fire danger rating for the Gifford Pinchot National Forest dropped to “low” as of Oct. 25. All evacuation notices for the Goat Rocks Fire were lifted by Monday Oct. 24, but a temporary flight restriction remained in place Thursday.
For current local smoke conditions, visit: https://wasmoke.blogspot.com/ or https://fire.airnow.gov/.
For the most up-to-date evacuation information, visit Lewis County’s Emergency Management website or Facebook page. For more information on defensible space visit https://www.nfpa.org/Public-Education/Fire-causes-and-risks/Wildfire/Preparing-homes-for-wildfire.
To receive alerts from Lewis County in case of an emergency, sign up at https://lewiscountywa.gov/departments/emergency-management/lewis-county-alert/.
More information on the Goat Rocks Fire can be obtained by calling 360-370-4168 or emailing 2022.goatrocks@firenet.gov.
