Paradise Fire site sees nearly 7 inches of rainfall

Published 12:01 am Tuesday, September 1, 2015

OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK — The Paradise Fire was doused by nearly 7 inches of rain by Monday morning, but the weather prevented officials from getting a close look at the moisture’s affect on the blaze.

Fire managers have not been able to assess the status of the 2,796-acre fire since the storm arrived Friday due to continued rain in the area.

Firefighters assigned to the fire are staged in the local area until the weather clears and have been made available to help in the recovery from Saturday’s windstorm.

Weather stations near the Paradise Fire, located in the Queets River valley 30 miles southeast of Forks in West Jefferson County, have recorded 6.82 inches of precipitation since Friday.

Fire officials have said they do not believe the rain is enough to fully extinguish the fire, due to the thick rainforest canopy that shelters deep duff, or accumulated forest debris, where the fire can continue to burn.

“The Paradise Fire is unprecedented in size for the fuel type and area, so there is no way to know for certain how long fire activity will continue even with the changes in weather,” fire managers said in their Monday fire update.