Paradise Fire smolders under sunny skies
Published 12:01 am Sunday, July 26, 2015
OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK — The Paradise Fire continued to smolder under sunny skies Saturday after drizzle had damped it down a day earlier.
Friday’s wet weather and the showers that are forecast for today were expected to give way to dry conditions Monday through Wednesday.
When the fire regains strength, firefighters said Saturday, smoke should increase, and embers might be seen at night.
The weather cycle, they said, is expected to continue into the fall before “a fire season-ending weather event” could saturate the ground below the thick rainforest canopy and extinguish the blaze.
As of Saturday, the fire had covered 1,781 acres, with 21 percent of its perimeter contained on the north side of the Queets River and the slopes of Pelton Peak 13 miles north-northeast of Lake Quinault
Fire crews paused to mark the anniversary of the death of Andy Palmer of Port Townsend, an Olympic National Park firefighter who died seven years ago Saturday after he was struck by a falling tree in a wildland fire in Northern California.
His death prompted a re-evaluation of safety procedures and produced new protocols for what areas are safe to work in and for medical evacuations.
