8/1/2015 Paradise Fire AM Update

For the first time in several days, the Paradise Fire produced enough smoke to be visible outside the Queets drainage.  Smoke was visible from Hurricane Ridge again Friday afternoon.  A photo from an observation flight in early afternoon shows the majority of the smoke coming from just a few acres on the west side of the fire.  There were only isolated smokes originating from the east side of the fire.  Other than one single tree torching, there were no flames visible.  Some assigned firefighters patrolled the west end of Olympic National Park, while others  monitored the main fire from the Kloochman lookout.

Fire managers have a very specific strategy for the Paradise Fire.  Suppression action has been used to confine the fire to the north side of the Queets River, and to slow the spread to the west.  Safety is the top priority in all decisions.  There are no people or properties at risk from the fire itself, and fire analysts determined fire spread outside the park is an unlikely probability.  The safest and most efficient use of firefighting resources is to keep them in an accessible location and ready to respond quickly if conditions change.  If the fire were to spot to the south side of the Queets River again, they will take suppression action, just as they did in early July.

On the Olympic Peninsula, residents and visitors are used to being surrounded by lush, green, damp forests.  This weekend, the fire danger is high.  A fire in Mason County (the southeast side of the peninsula) last night reportedly grew to over 100 acres.  Though the Paradise Fire is not threatening any people or homes, wildland firefighters are still concerned about possible new fire starts.  "Firewise" principles are well-known in more fire-prone landscapes.  You can take preventative action to minimize damage to home and property before a new fire starts.  Cleaning needles and twigs from roofs, moving firewood away from buildings, and removing dead vegetation and limbs within 30 feet of structures is a good start.  An excellent resource for detailed defensible space tips is http://firewise.org/wildfire-preparedness.aspx.  

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.

Fires are not permitted in the backcountry area of Olympic National Park, including coastal areas.  Campfires are only allowed in established front-country campgrounds in metal campfire rings.

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.