The Skyo Fire near Packwood had grown to 185 acres on Wednesday as the Western Washington Type 3 Incident Management Team (WWIMT) continued its response to the East Lewis County blaze.
The fire remained 5% contained as of Wednesday, according to the fire-tracking app Watch Duty.
The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office on Saturday issued a Level One “Get Ready” evacuation notice for residents near Skyo Mountain, located three miles west of Packwood.
The notice applies to the area adjacent to the fire, on the north side of the Cowlitz River.
A Level One notice indicates a potential threat to the area, but no immediate danger.
An upgrade to Level Two, or “Get Set,” would require residents to “be prepared to leave within hours,” officials said.
Level Three, or “Go Now,” is considered a mandatory and immediate evacuation notice.
“An increase in fire activity over the past 24 hours was observed on the north slope of the fire perimeter,” the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) said Tuesday in a joint news release with the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the WWIMT. “Fire crews continue to engage in suppression through direct and indirect mitigation, creating fire breaks and reinforcing primary and contingency control lines. Wind driven runs, single tree torching and uphill runs remain active. Structure protection teams are monitoring and addressing any threats to surrounding infrastructure. Crews remain active in road repair and route clearance to gain better access to the fire. Aviation support will assist ground crews today.”
The USFS has attributed the cause of the fire — and at least 10 other active fires in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest area — to lightning strikes beginning July 22.
