7/30/2015 Paradise Fire Update

Paradise Fire Update

Thursday, July 30, 2015

(360) 797-5366

What happened yesterday?  Late Wednesday afternoon, fire personnel observed an increase in fire activity within the fire area.  A few single trees burned, primarily in the southwest corner of the fire.  The smoke from these burning trees lifted toward the east, and a very slight haze was available on the horizon from Hurricane Ridge Visitor's Center.  Firefighters evaluated the "isolated heat" identified on the infrared map yesterday morning, in the southwest corner.  They determined it was a small area of heat in an area that had burned lightly.

After 3 days with no rain on the fire, the vegetation is drying out.  There is a red flag fire weather warning for areas above 2000 feet elevation on the Olympic Peninsula.  The red flag warning is for extremely dry, unstable air.  Parts of the fire are below 2000 feet elevation and will be less affected by the dry conditions; part of the fire are above that elevation.  Personnel and equipment are being strategically repositioned to be able to respond to changing conditions, if necessary.  Supplies at the helibase (in the picture above) are prepared for moving to any location they are needed.

The National Park Service wildland fire management program is committed to safety, science, and stewardship.  Safety of firefighters and the public is the number 1 priority for all NPS wildland fire management activities.  The NPS approach is designed to increase safety for firefighters through less exposure on the fireline.  Positioning supplies and personnel at the helibase is an example of applying this philosophy to actual fire operations.

The Olympic National Park and the surrounding area has burn bans, restrictions and closures in place.  Check on the following links http://www.nps.gov/olym/index.htm  Area burn bans: www.waburnbans.net

For real time information, visit our Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Paradise-Fire/831205013596015. Basic information is also available on Inciweb at http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4305/.  

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. 

link http://tinyurl.com/pjmwp7v
--

Paradise Fire Information Staff

360-797-5366