PORT ANGELES — A smoldering fire that consumed 2 acres of brush off Black Diamond Road south of Port Angeles on Tuesday emitted a plume of white smoke that was visible from the city.
Clallam County Fire District No. 2 and the state Department of Natural Resources contained the fire at 62 Frederickson Road to 2 acres and worked overnight to make sure it did not spread past containment lines.
Smoke was reported by a person on Black Diamond Road at 1:45 p.m. Tuesday.
Fire District No. 2 Chief Sam Phillips said the fire likely started as an unauthorized campfire Monday evening, smoldered overnight and spread as temperatures climbed into the upper 70s Tuesday.
“It is fairly common for a smoldering fire to die down in the morning hours only to surface again once the afternoon sun warms the surface of the earth, allowing the fire to become more active,” Phillips said.
DNR is investigating the cause, but fire officials received reports that young adults may have had an unauthorized campfire in the area before the fire spread, Phillips said.
Outdoor burn ban
An outdoor burn ban is in effect until Sept. 30. The only exceptions to the ban are recreational fires in DNR-approved pits at designated campgrounds.
Gas and propane barbecues and self-contained stoves are allowed.
Eleven firefighters from Fire District No. 2 fought the fire with a structural fire engine, two brush fire engines, a water tender and a command vehicle.
DNR had a fire investigator and a 20-person crew on scene.
The fire was moving slowly up a hill in a brushy area under a grove of timber when crews arrived Tuesday.
Nearly 2,000 gallons of water was used to control the fire. The water was hauled in on trucks.
The fire danger was listed as high in Clallam and Jefferson counties Wednesday.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5072, or at rollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
