OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK — A fire in a wilderness area of the Queets River valley has grown to 367 acres as a crew of wildland fire specialists was arriving today.
The fire is about 12 miles inland from the Queets River trailhead near the river’s confluence with Paradise Creek in an area of tall old-growth trees, making suppression activities difficult and dangerous for firefighters because of burning limbs and snags in rugged terrain, an Olympic National Park spokesperson said.
The park is calling the blaze the Paradise Fire.
A 10-person wildland fire crew from Klamath National Forest in Northern California was due to arrive today to evaluate the situation, the spokesperson said.
“Human safety is always our top priority in fire management,” said Park Superintendent Sarah Creachbaum in a statement this afternoon.
“When suppressing fires in wilderness, we carefully consider potential impacts to wilderness character as well.”
The weather forecast calls for cooler temperatures and possible showers Friday, but the long-term forecast calls for warmer and drier conditions, the National Weather Service said.
“The current drought conditions and long-term forecast will also be a major consideration as we address this fire strategy,” Creachbaum said.
Fire management strategy is addressed on the Olympic National Park website: http://www.nps.gov/olym/learn/management/fire-management-1.htm.
