Paradise Fire in Olympic National Park Burns into July, 2015
The 367 acre fire is located about 12 miles up-valley from the Queets River trailhead, well within the park boundary.
The National Park Service reported on June 17, 2015 that the Paradise Fire continues to burn in the wilderness of the Queets Valley. More accurate mapping now shows a fire size of 367 acres. The fire is located about 12 miles upvalley from the Queets River trailhead, well within the park boundary. The fire’s cause remains unknown.
This is pretty amazing footage of the way the dried lichen has been carrying the #ParadiseFire. You can see the fire climb the tree carried by lichen, and then as the lichen burns up, it drops off the tree and carries the fire to the ground. That’s how much of the fire has moved forward – carried through the tree tops by lichen and continuing the spread as it falls to the ground.
Posted by Paradise Fire on Tuesday, July 7, 2015
The fire continues to burn slowly along the Queets River near its confluence with Paradise Creek in an area of very tall centuries-old trees, making suppression activities difficult and very dangerous for firefighters. Burning limbs and snags as well as the rugged terrain make fire suppression challenging in this area.The Queets River Trail is closed at Bob Creek until further notice to protect public and employee safety.
A ten-person wildland fire crew from the Klamath National Forest in northern California will arrive today and is specifically trained in evaluating conditions, risks and impacts associated with wilderness fires, along with developing options for fire management and suppression.
“Human safety is always our top priority in fire management,” said Olympic National Park Superintendent Sarah Creachbaum. “When suppressing fires in wilderness, we carefully consider potential impacts to wilderness character as well.”
The last six miles of the Queets River Trail is closed.
The short term weather forecast is calling for cooler temperatures and possible showers. The extended forecast is for warmer and dryer conditions into the summer. “The current drought conditions and long-term forecast will also be a major consideration as we address this fire strategy,” said Creachbaum.
For updates about the Paradise Fire, visit the NPS Fire Status Page at www.nps.gov/olym/learn/management/current-fire-status.htm