7/21/2015 Paradise Fire Daily Update

Paradise Fire Update  

Tuesday, July 21, 2015

The forecasted weather "Cloudy with a chance of showers" should moderate the Paradise Fire in Olympic National Park through most of the week.  However, significant rain is not predicted and some fire activity is likely to continue in the foreseeable future.  Park officials are reminding the public that the fire danger is still "High" and precautions should be taken when visiting the park.  There is a ban on open fires in the park's wilderness back-country, including all locations along the coast. Campfires are permitted only in established fire grates in developed campgrounds outside of the wilderness.  

Light drifting smoke could be seen from Hurricane Ridge on Monday as the coastal breezes pushed the smoke up the Queets River valley and into the upper Hoh River valley.  This pattern may be observed at times in the vicinity of the fire.  Little movement of the fire occurred Monday and little is expected through the week.

The Tushar Wildland Fire Module, a highly-trained team of firefighters, is camped out on the fire to assure that it stays within the expected area.  A light helicopter and helitack crew from the Pike and San Isabel National Forests in Colorado are being used to support suppression efforts.  

Firefighter safety remains the biggest concern with fire suppression activities in this temperate rainforest.  Personnel on the ground are finding extreme slopes, falling trees, and deep pockets of hot ash.  Suppression priorities remain to keep the fire north of the Queets River and west of Bob Creek.

More information is available on Inciweb at http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4305/.  For real time information, including still images and video of the fire, 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

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Paradise Fire Information Staff

360-797-5366