7/11/2015 Paradise Fire Update AM

On Friday the Paradise Fire was under the influence of a moist marine layer coming up the Queets River drainage from the ocean.  This typical weather feature kept the fire quiet and no significant growth occurred.  It is expected that the fire will remain quiet through the weekend as a moist weather front moves through the region.  This does not mean that the fire is almost out. It will take a significant amount of rainfall over several days to have a lasting effect.

Fire managers are taking advantage of the lull in fire activity to prepare for the long haul.  The 20-person Central Oregon Type 2 Initial Attack crew, that will be working with the Washington Conservation Corps crew, is heading to the Queets River Trailhead today to assist with improvements that will allow pack animals to carry necessary supplies from the trailhead to the fire.  The WCC crew made good progress Friday, brushing and clearing 1.5 to 2 miles of trail. Reopening this trail for pack animals is important as, currently, helicopters are the only tool available to move supplies and personnel to or from the fire.  Weather conditions, like this morning when the ceiling is 700 feet in the drainage, often ground the helicopters making them unavailable to meet these needs.  

Fire managers have also developed contingency plans which could be used to help firefighters react to changing conditions as the weather returns to warmer and drier conditions over the next few weeks or months and the fire begins to move again.The longer term contingency plans focused on  pre-identifying where natural barriers are located, as well as tactics that will allow firefighters to be successful when the fire reaches those barriers. The goal is to contain the fire within the Olympic National Park and stops its spread south and west.

Olympic National Park officials would like to remind the public that there is a ban on open fires in the park's wilderness backcountry, including all locations along the coast. Campfires are permitted only in established fire grates at established front country campgrounds.

Basic information is also available on Inciweb at http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4305/.  For real time information, visit our Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Paradise-Fire/831205013596015. For current information about visiting Olympic National Park, as well as information about the history and role of fire in the Olympic ecosystem, please visit the park's website at http://www.nps.gov/olym