OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK — Firefighters began working Thursday to limit the spread of the wildland Paradise Fire, which had grown to an estimated 375 acres.
The fire burning slowly along the Queets River near its confluence with Paradise Creek was ignited by a late-May lightning strike, said Diane Abendroth, National Park Service fire information officer.
Abendroth said 14 firefighters were working at the west corner of the blaze, down river, to keep the edge moist and work east to prevent it from expanding, while the interior will be allowed to burn itself out.
Additional fire crews and a helicopter are on order, she added.
Firefighters are taking advantage of cool, wet weather to attempt to prevent the fire’s spread, she said.
That strategy, augmented by additional firefighters from the park and from California, will be in effect for about the next week, when fire managers may re-evaluate.
“The fire behavior is quite mild. It is smoldering and creeping along,” Abendroth said.
Drier-than-usual weather is contributing to the spread of the fire up centuries-old trees, “but it’s not really consuming or blackening them very much,” she said.
The fire is expected to continue to show smoke for much of the summer.
The fire is about 12 miles up the valley from the Queets River trailhead within the park boundary.
The Queets River Trail is closed at Bob Creek until further notice.
The blaze threatens no structures, park officials have said.
Generally the park aims to manage fire as natural processes when they are in remote areas and conditions allow.
“However, this year’s drought and fire season outlooks have caused park managers to take a suppression response,” Abendroth said.
For updates on the Paradise Fire, see http://inciweb.nwcg.gov.
