Almost 5 inches of rain falls on Paradise Fire, but burn is expected to persist
Published 12:01 am Monday, August 31, 2015
OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK — Nearly 5 inches of rain fell near the Paradise Fire site in the Queets River valley over the weekend, but even that was only enough to slow the fire in West Jefferson County.
Weather stations set up near the Paradise Fire recorded 4.6 inches of precipitation since Friday.
The rain is not enough to put out the fire, but it is expected to dampen the fire’s spread temporarily, said Celeste Prescott, spokeswoman for the Paradise Fire management team.
Whether the 2,796-acre fire recovers from the storm’s drenching downpour depends on the weather over the next few weeks.
If conditions return to a dry pattern, the fire’s active behavior could return, Prescott said.
“To put it out will take at least a week of hard rain,” she said.
All fire personnel were removed from the fire line before the storm arrived Saturday, and due to the severe weather, crews were not able to check on the Paradise Fire or the 4-acre Hungry Fire, burning in the park southwest of Brinnon.
Those firefighters are assisting the park and state Department of Natural Resources with the clean-up effort after the storm, as well as with initial assistance on new small fires caused by power lines coming down in the winds that accompanied the rain.
