OLYMPIC NATIONAL FOREST — The Big Hump Fire has consumed 809 acres in The Brothers Wilderness, fire managers said this morning.
That’s up from the 614 acres estimated Thursday.
The fire is burning in Olympic National Forest about 10 miles southwest of Brinnon.
The Central Oregon Incident Management Team, which is managing the wildfire, will hold a community meeting on its containment efforts at 5 p.m. Saturday at the Brinnon Community Center, 306144 U.S. Highway 101.
The Duckabush and Mount Jupiter trails are closed because of their proximity to the fire.
The fire, named for a high point on the Duckabush River Trail, started Aug. 31 and is believed to have been ignited by an abandoned campfire.
The fire has remained low, burning dead underbrush and forest litter, with only relatively few trees burned, fire officials said.
No crews are on the ground fighting the fire which is located in steep, rugged terrain among second-growth and old-growth Douglas fir, cedar and hemlock.
Helicopters are dumping water in an effort to contain the fire, which is being allowed to burn until rain quenches it, since it does not threaten lives or property.
Personnel working on the fire have been reduced to 75 after a high of 165 on Monday.
The inversion over the Big Hump Fire lifted very slowly on Thursday, with smoke limiting visibility, said Pam Sichting, forest service spokeswoman.
The fire has not crossed the Duckabush River nor fully crested over the ridge into the Dosewallips River drainage, Sichting said.
The plan is to contain the fire north of the Duckabush River, east of the Olympic National Park boundary, south of the Dosewallips River and west of a ridge line from the Dosewallips River south through Mount Jupiter to the Duckabush River.
Today, firefighters will continue to clear brush along the Mount Jupiter road to the Elkhorn Campground and trail, Sitchting said.
A large column of smoke is predicted to be visible this afternoon.
Helicopters will dip from Lake Jupiter No. 3 to cool hotspots along the fire perimeter, she said.
Hot, dry weather is fueling the fire, officials have said, and those conditions are expected to continue at least through the weekend and perhaps for another three weeks..
The National Weather Service issued a “red flag warning” for the fire area Thursday because of forecasts of continued temperatures of near-90 degrees, low humidity and winds.
Red flag warnings are issued when the weather may cause extreme fire risk.
Meanwhile, a new fire has been contained at one-quarter acre near Mount Ellinor, the management team said.
