Mount Tom Creek fire continues to burn near Mount Olympus

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, July 8, 2026

PORT ANGELES — The Mount Tom Creek fire continues to creep on an extremely steep, densely forested slope about 5 miles west of Mount Olympus.

The fire area, which remains unchanged from last week at about 68 acres and zero percent contained, has received up to 2 inches of rain over the past week, but the dense tree canopy is preventing sufficient rainfall from reaching the forest floor to extinguish the fire, officials stated in a news release.

Backpackers first reported the fire on June 24, the morning after a lightning storm swept through the area, fire officials said.

Fire managers are using a full-suppression strategy. Direct extinguishment at the fire’s edge is not possible due to the terrain and the difficulty of both inserting and extracting personnel in the remote and hazardous location. Instead, firefighters are using indirect confinement to protect firefighter and public safety.

On Sunday, firefighters installed a camera on a ridge south of the fire. The camera, which transmits images via satellite, showed a smoke column about 7 p.m. that night.

Information from firefighters on the ground and support technologies is informing strategic plans and priority locations for brush removal and structure preparation, fire officials said.

Those tactics will help to protect recreation and administrative infrastructure, in case the fire gets several days of warm, dry weather and moves out of its current footprint.

Fire managers were evaluating the fire activity by helicopter on Monday to determine whether to use water drops to cool any hot spots.

The Hoh Rain Forest administrative site is about 6 miles from the fire perimeter. All Hoh Rain Forest facilities — including the visitor center, campground and trail system — remain open to the public.

There are no fire-related closures of any backcountry facilities or trails.

However, due to increased fire potential and dry vegetation, Olympic National Park implemented fire restrictions on June 25.

Dispersed and backcountry fires are prohibited. Fires are still allowed within established metal rings in developed campgrounds and picnic areas.

Propane and gas stoves are permitted when operated at least 3 feet away from flammable vegetation and forest litter.

Most places in the immediate area should have good to moderate air quality, but the wind has shifted, so smoke from the fire may drift in the Port Angeles and Sol Duc areas, fire officials said.

For current smoke information, visit https://fire.airnow.gov.