7/31/2015 Paradise Fire Update

Paradise Fire Update

Friday, July 31, 2015

(360) 797-5366

As expected, the Paradise Fire burned more actively on Thursday afternoon, especially near the southwest corner of the fire.  Incident Commander Fulton Jeansonne viewed the fire during a helicopter flight, and reported "The active burning was primarily single tree torching inside the fire's edge.  While we were flying, the fire perimeter had expanded only minimally beyond what was mapped yesterday."  [The photo above was taken around 1:00pm on July 31.] Late Thursday, a helicopter assigned to the fire was used to search for a separate smoke that was reported in the Quinault drainage.  No new fire was located.  Just as planned, the helicopter and crew were ready to respond to changing conditions.   

The red flag warning for elevations over 2000 feet has been extended through 10:00pm Saturday.  Extremely hot temperatures and dry conditions are forecast throughout the region all weekend. Personnel and equipment are now positioned in strategic locations to be able to monitor the fire and respond to changes if necessary.  A lookout has been established with a clear view into the Queets drainage.  The lookout is using a geo-referenced map to identify any movement of the fire perimeter.  Firefighters are now stationed at the helibase in the Clearwater drainage.  They will be delivered back to the fire area to take suppression actions if there is any report of the fire spotting across the river to the south.  

During this record-breaking dry season, everyone's actions matter to prevent new fire starts.  Visitors to public lands, and residents on our peninsula share responsibility for care of the surrounding environment.  There are different burning restrictions on federal, state, county, and private lands.  Regardless of the rules for any area, fires can spread across the boundaries.  Where you recreate and where you live, pay attention to the regulations in place to protect people, property, and our natural resources.  Use gas stoves for cooking outside, instead of a fire.  Choose to wait to have recreational fires until the fire danger is lower.  In the established front-country campgrounds where visitors can have campfires, keep them small, and put them out thoroughly by stirring water into them until they are cold.

All current burn ban regulations in Washington state are linked from this webiste:  www.waburnbans.net

For information updates throughout the day, visit our Facebook page: 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.