BRINNON — The primary goal of a group of specialists who have taken command of the Heatwave Complex is to keep the Constance fire, 15 miles west of Brinnon, from spreading east.
The Heatwave Complex of fires, all ignited by lightning, have burned an estimated 1,078 acres in Olympic National Park. Five of the original 12 blazes still burn.
The Northern Rockies Southwest Area Fire Management Team is focused mainly on controlling the eastward spread of the biggest of the group, the Constance Fire, which started July 11 and has charred 442 acres in the Dosewallips River Valley at Constance creek.
Keep from spreading
Brad McBratney, who took over as incident commander of the fires within the 922,651-acre park, told about 40 people Wednesday night in Brinnon that they had found a place along the eastern edge of the Constance fire to place crews and keep the fire from spreading any closer toward Brinnon.
“This is some of the steepest country I’ve worked in my 30 years of wildland fire management,” McBratney said.
“But we have found places for the crews to get in there and fight it on the edge of the park to keep it from spreading.
“I can’t say it won’t go any farther east, but we’re working on keeping it where it is.”
Todd Rankin, the former incident commander, explained that not much had changed in the status of the five fires during the week because of cooler temperatures than last week.
However, weather forecasts showed no sign of wetter conditions to put out the flames.
“Altogether, it’s looking good with the current fires,” Rankin said.
“But it’s forecasted to remain dry, and there is the possibility of more lightning.
“As we continued to monitor weather forecasts and fuel conditions, we made the call to bring in the specialized team.”
Friday meeting possible
Another meeting may be held at the Brinnon Community Center on Friday if there is a big change in the behavior of the fires, said Diane Abendroth, fire ecologist.
All but one of the fires in the Heatwave Complex began in July.
The 10 Mile fire — which began June 13 — smoldered as a small blaze until Sunday, when it flared to 379 acres on the steep slopes above the Duckabush River.
That fire, also about 15 miles west of Brinnon, remained about the same size as of Wednesday.
Two fires that began July 29 — the Knife fire, covering 15 acres, and the Buckinghorse, which is 312 acres — are in the middle of the park, and officials expect them to burn together. There is no plan to fight those fires.
One fire in Clallam County — the Solduc fire in Seven Lakes Basin — remained less than 1 acre in size Wednesday.
Residents frustrated
A few of the residents at Wednesday’s meeting expressed frustration over the National Park Service policy of letting fires burn out on their own.
Park officials say wildfires of low to moderate severity — like those in the Heatwave Complex — are essential to the ecosystem. They burn the forest understory and maintain wildlife habitats by releasing nutrients that stimulate plant growth, park officials say.
Residents also questioned why more helicopters weren’t being used to fight the fires.
“We could fly all the helicopters in the world, and it would be ineffective without people on the ground,” McBratney said.
“We could dump water until the rudders fell off, and it wouldn’t put the fire out.
“You can’t just drop water, because it doesn’t work up there with such a thick canopy.”
McBratney said the threat to Brinnon remained low, but the fires would likely burn until October.
“It will take multiple rainfalls until the fires go out,” McBratney said.
Air monitors have been set up in Brinnon to make sure air quality remains safe for residents, McBratney said.
Five firefighters are stationed at the Dosewallips Ranger Station near the eastern boundary of the park to fight the Constance fire.
Nine firefighters and three helicopters staffed the east side of the Constance fire to confine it to the wilderness.
McBratney said two of the helicopters were dumping water from buckets onto the eastern edge of the fire.
The 10 Mile fire is not being actively fought, but two firefighters are monitoring the trails in the area to make sure no hikers are in danger.
The Buckinghorse, Knife and Solduc fires also are not being actively fought.
The Northern Rockies Southwest Area Fire Management Team consists of fire managers from Idaho, Montana, Arizona and New Mexico. They include public information officers, safety officers, logistics coordinators and long-term fire forecasters.
The park banned campfires in the backcountry Monday. The exception are those in established fire pits in designated campgrounds and below the high tide line along the coast.
Fire management updates are posted on the Web at www.inciweb.org.
For information on trail closures in Olympic National Park, phone 360-565-3100.
________
Reporter Erik Hidle can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at erik.hidle@peninsuladailynews.com.
