Large fire on Olympic Peninsula rages on as dry conditions fuel spread

The Bear Gulch Fire on the Olympic Peninsula has continued to grow—now spanning nearly 16,000 acres. 

“We had an east wind event yesterday and into the evening, and that was the primary factor in driving fire behavior and growth last night,” Jared Low, public information officer for the National Park Service, told KIRO Newsradio.

Investigators believe the fire, burning near Lake Cushman, was human-caused, but they don’t know exactly how.

Low said they’re taking new measurements on the wildfire, which is only 9% contained.

“Right now it’s 9%, I imagine that’s going to drop a little bit after they get better, more accurate mapping,” he explained.

Bear Gulch Fire one of largest in recent years

He said wildfires in the typically cooler, wetter half of our state aren’t rare, but the Bear Gulch Fire is different.

“This one is the largest fire we’ve seen on the Olympic Peninsula in recent history,” Low shared.

He noted the steep terrain makes it difficult for firefighters to get to the fire, which grew rapidly north.

“Most of the fire growth happened up on the north end of the fire, which now is deep into the wilderness of Olympic National Park,” Low said.

Fortunately, there are no homes or buildings in that area. Meanwhile, homes closer to Lake Cushman have been evacuated.

“Yesterday, there were helicopters doing bucket work on the northwest of Lake Cushman, where there are some structures and residences that have been kind of near the adjacent to the fire area since this thing started,” Low said.

He advised checking with the Olympic National Park to find out which campsites have been closed because of the fire.

Although rain is expected to fall this weekend, the fire likely won’t be extinguished.

“Essentially, we need a sustained and widespread rainfall to really significantly diminish fire activity and bring about a season-ending event,” Low explained.

More wildfires burn in eastern Washington

The Sugarloaf Fire, which is about 25 miles northeast of Leavenworth, has scorched nearly 19,000 acres. It’s 11% contained.

The largest wildfire in our state appears to be the Rattlesnake Fire that was sparked by lightning on the Colville Reservation. It’s now more than 21,800 acres large and is 90% contained.

Contributing: Julia Dallas, MyNorthwest

Read more of Heather Bosch’s stories here.

Follow @http://www.twitter.com/heatherbosch