Lightning-caused fires burning in Olympic National Park

Published 5:20 pm Thursday, July 23, 2009

Two lightning-caused fires are burning in the upper Duckabush and

Dosewallips River valleys, in the eastern section of Olympic National Park.

One fire is ten acres while the second is one acre; both are located deep

within the park boundary and designated wilderness.

“These fires were ignited by early-season thunderstorms and are a natural

part of the Olympic ecosystem,” said Olympic National Park Superintendent

Karen Gustin. “Considering their size, extremely steep surroundings and

location well within park and wilderness boundaries, we are managing these

fires for resource benefit through confinement and continued monitoring.”

Lightning storms on June 13 and July 11 resulted in over 30 lightning

strikes within the park, with four fires known to be ignited. Two of these

fires are still known to be active.

The Constance fire in the upper Dosewallips drainage is currently ten acres

and was ignited by a lightning strike on July 11; it was first reported on

July 17. Its remote location and extremely steep terrain makes access for

firefighters very difficult and would require technical climbing skills,

presenting significant risk to any firefighters. Given these factors, park

crews are managing the Constance fire through a confinement strategy, in

which existing barriers like rock outcrops, trails and ridge tops are used

as natural firebreaks. Crews will continue to monitor this fire. The Lake

Constance Trail is closed due to hazardous conditions including falling

trees and rocks.

Under clear conditions, the Constance fire smoke column is visible at times

from the Silverdale area, and can be observed via a private webcam at

www.drdale.com.

In the upper Duckabush Valley, the Ten-Mile fire was reported by a hiker on

June 23 and has been monitored by members of the park’s fire crew since

then. The fire is believed to have been caused by a single lightning

strike to a tall old-growth Douglas fir on June 13.

Two other small fires in the upper Dosewallips drainage were reported on

July 11 and smoke columns were easily visible from Hurricane Ridge. Smoke

has not been visible from either of these fires since July 13.

Warm, dry weather continues to prevail throughout the park and is forecast

through the next 10 days, raising the possibility of increased fire

activity.

Managing these fires for resource benefits meets guidelines as outlined in

the Olympic National Park Fire Management Plan, approved in December 2005

after extensive public review and comment. Naturally occurring fires

create a patchwork of different forest types and provide a mosaic of

habitats for a wide variety of plants and animals.