Paradise Fire quiet following damp weekend
Published 12:01 am Monday, July 13, 2015
OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK — Rain dampened the woods and cooler conditions are expected to keep the fire in the Queets River valley quiet temporarily.
But the dampness in the rain forest didn’t put the fire out, Sunday’s official activity update on the Paradise Fire said.
The fire is expected to become more active when conditions warm and dry out, according to the update.
The smoldering fire has burned 1,590 acres, primarily though dried moss and lichen in the tops of old-growth trees and in deep duff on steep hillsides.
The number of personnel on the ground increased from 95 to 122 as a fresh team of firefighters arrived from Oregon, authorities said.
Firefighting costs have reached $1.9 million to contain the lighting-sparked fire 13 miles inside the park boundary.
As of Sunday, the fire remained at 21 percent containment, held by firefighters at the Queets River to the south and the Bob Creek drainage to the west.
A Washington Conservation Corps crew of trail builders has cleared and improved 1.5 miles of the Queets River trail to create access for pack trains to resupply firefighters stationed on remote backcountry fire lines.
The 20-person Oregon crew was expected to join the trail building crew on the Queets River trail.
