Due to unseasonably warm weather, dry conditions and increased wind speeds, a Red Flag Warning went into effect at 11 a.m. Saturday and will last through 5 p.m. Sunday, according to the U.S. Forest Service’s latest update from the Goat Rocks Fire.
Average wind speeds over ridges will be about 15 miles per hour while gusts could reach 25 mph Saturday and into Sunday
Residents should expect an increase in wildfire smoke over the weekend. .
“An increase in fire behavior is expected today, with creeping and smoldering along the fireline,” the Forest Service reported Saturday. “Most of the fire growth is projected on the northern edge in Division Whiskey. Where winds align, the fire is expected to burn fuels in between the fire’s edge and control lines. Some individual or group tree torching may occur. There was some single tree torching by Bluff Lake yesterday.”
The fire was sparked by lighting in early August. It’s about one and a half miles from Packwood in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. The blaze has burned more than 5,200 acres and is 2 percent contained. There are 171 people battling the blaze with five aircraft, 10 engines, four water tenders and one dozer.
Firefighters have been patrolling communities closest to the fire day and night. Crews are testing hoses and reviewing the coordinated response plan daily. Firefighters continue to hold all control lines, including the Three Peak Trail system. Helicopter bucket work continues to limit fire spread. Resources are advancing hazardous fuels removal along Forest Road 46, according to the Forest Service.
Areas northeast of Butter Creek and north of U.S. Highway 12, including Lower Timberline and Goat Rocks, are still at an evacuation level one (be ready). Upper Timberline remains at an evacuation level two (be set).
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