Crews fighting the Goat Rocks Fire northeast of Packwood and outlying neighborhoods are likely to be helped by incoming cooler, wetter weather — but the fall weather system poses new challenges for safety, such as slippery rocks, cold exposure and falling trees and rocks, according to a Friday morning news release.
“Firefighter safety will be the main concern,” the release stated, adding later, “Over the coming days, multiple low-pressure systems will continually impact the area, bringing much needed relief to both smoke impacts and fire growth.”
On Friday, the fire had scorched 6,196 acres of forest and was 8% contained after being just 2% contained earlier in the week. The most recent mapping of the acreage took place on Wednesday night.
All areas north and northeast of Butter Creek are at a level two “be set” evacuation notice. This includes the Upper and Lower Timberline, Goat Rocks and Riverdance neighborhoods, and parts of High Valley. The fire expanded by several hundred acres last weekend due to dry, windy conditions, which prompted the precautionary evacuation warnings. Packwood proper is not under evacuation status at this time.
The release also detailed the transition of a new incident command scene coming on Sunday morning. In addition to the Goat Rocks Fire, that team will be managing two others in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, the Sunset and Siouxon fires.
Fire personnel will continue patrolling the fire perimeter and cooling hotspots when it is safe to do so. Engines will remain staged within the local communities to ensure ongoing protection.
The fire was sparked by lightning Aug. 9 and on Sept. 9 began a period of swift growth. It’s located about a mile and a half northeast of Packwood.
As of Friday, there were 215 people, five aircrafts, 13 engines, three water tenders and one dozer being used to fight the fire.
To get the most up to date information on evacuations throughout Lewis County, sign up for Lewis County Alerts at https://bit.ly/LewisCountyAlerts.
For more information on the Goat Rocks Fire, call 360-370-4168 between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. or email 2022.GoatRocks@firenet.gov.
