OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK — Rain that fell in neighboring areas didn’t reach the site of a small wildfire near Marymere Falls on Friday night, and the fire still smoldered Saturday.
A three-person crew arrived at the site of the 1.5-acre fire, called the Upper Falls fire, on Saturday to see if rain had extinguished it, but it was still creeping through underbrush.
“It appears there was no rainfall over that area,” said Rainey McKenna, Olympic National Park spokeswoman, on Saturday afternoon.
“The area is still dry. The fire is still smoldering.”
It has been contained within a perimeter, has not grown in size and is smoldering rather than blazing, McKenna said.
Monitoring fire
Crew members will continue to monitor the fire until it burns itself out, she added.
The fire is believed to have been human-caused and remains under investigation.
It started in steep, rugged terrain about a mile southwest of Lake Crescent Lodge on Wednesday afternoon.
By Thursday afternoon, fire crews had completed fire lines on the north and west sides of the fire, which was blocked naturally on two sides by a 75-foot cliff dropping downhill and Falls Creek, McKenna said.
The fire burned some trees Wednesday that were between 25 and 30 feet tall.
It did not threaten any structures, and no hiking trails were closed, McKenna said.
Smoke from the fire is localized and minimal, she said, and is not easily visible from Barnes Point or U.S. Highway 101.
McKenna noted that the eastern side of the park was included in a National Weather Service “red flag” warning and urged visitors to be cautious.
The Weather Service said there was a high wildfire danger from Friday afternoon through this evening across some parts of Western and Eastern Washington.
Forecasters said the risk came from dry lightning strikes as thunderstorms move across the state.
Burn ban
Although a burn ban is in effect on state-managed lands, campfires are permitted within developed campgrounds at Olympic National Park.
“It’s a red flag warning, so caution is advised,” McKenna said.
“Watch campfires, cigarette butts, any sort of fuel or incendiary device.”
Updated information on the fire will be posted to Olympic National Park’s fire management website at http://tinyurl.com/ONPFireUpdate and also can be found by calling the fire management recorded fire information line at 360-565-3125.