Fire personnel on Thursday responded to fires in East Lewis County at Dog Mountain near Glenoma and Skyo Mountain near Packwood.
The Dog Mountain Fire was first reported by the computer-aided dispatch system WildCAD at about 9 p.m. Wednesday, according to the wildfire-tracking app Watch Duty.
An anonymous user submitted a photo of the nascent blaze at 8:45 p.m.
The fire, located at the east end of Riffe Lake, had reportedly grown to 3 acres by 10:55 p.m. Wednesday.
The Lewis County Department of Emergency Management said in a Facebook post at 4 p.m. Thursday that “multiple resources” had responded to the fire, including aircraft.
The department estimated the fire had grown to about 5 acres “in steep terrain.”
Lewis County Emergency Management Deputy Director Erika Katt told The Chronicle that the Washington state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) was active in the response.
According to Watch Duty, the Skyo Fire was first reported by WildCAD just before 10 p.m. Wednesday. As of about 10 p.m. Thursday, the fire had grown to roughly 10 acres.
In its post, Lewis County Emergency Management said the fire was now estimated to be between 5 and 10 acres.
“This fire is also burning in steep terrain in heavy timber with limited access,” county officials said in the post. “Aircraft will be operating in the area.”
Skyo Mountain is located north of U.S. Highway 12, its peak roughly three miles from Packwood.
County officials told the public not to fly drones near either fire.
“Give responders the space they need to work safely,” officials said.
Katt likewise stressed the importance of giving firefighters space to do their jobs.
“If you fly, we can’t,” Katt said.
As of Thursday afternoon, Watch Duty had not yet reported information on the containment percentage for either fire. Katt said that information had yet to be confirmed.
“The terrain is steep, so it’s really hard to get a full picture of what the footprint is and what the containment is,” Katt said.
The deputy director said her department is communicating with both the U.S. Forest Service and DNR.
“There’s currently no threats to the public at this time,” Katt said.
She said the best way to learn of any potential evacuation notices is to sign up for Lewis County Alerts.
To do so, visit https://tinyurl.com/9uzvvb4n.
