OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK — A fourth wildfire has been discovered in Olympic National Park, where blazes sparked by lightning earlier this month continue to grow.
Firefighters continue to monitor and address four fires currently burning in Olympic National Park, said Lisa Wilkolak, National Parks Service fire information officer, on Saturday.
As of Saturday, the Godkin fire, located about 25 miles south of Port Angeles along the Elwha River, had consumed about 65 acres.
The Hayes fire, located 20 miles south of Port Angeles on a ridgeline between the Lost River and Hayes River, had spread to 30 acres.
The Cox Valley fire, located about 12 miles south of Port Angeles, near PJ Lake north of Obstruction Point Ridge, had consumed about 10 acres as of Saturday afternoon.
The Ignar Creek Fire, discovered Friday about 22 miles northeast of Lake Quinault, had consumed half an acre by Saturday afternoon.
All four fires were caused by lightning strikes during a July 21 storm, which brought heavy rain and more than 400 lightning strikes to the Olympic Mountains.
Today, firefighters are going to continue suppression activities on the Cox Valley Fire, Wilkolak said.
Morning flight
Firefighters are expected to conduct morning reconnaissance flights over the fires today to gauge the current status of each and to plan how to best respond, Wilkolak said.
“We are mainly trying to manage [the fires], and make sure that the fire is doing what we want it to do and the type of fire activity we are seeing is staying in the area that we want it to,” she said.
“We have our crews out there that are ready to” respond at a moment’s notice.
As of Saturday, about 35 personnel were assigned to fire duties, Wilkolak said.
Three fire engines and two helicopters are assisting in firefighting efforts, she said, with additional resources ordered and on the way.
“More resources are ordered. We have three engines and two helicopters.”
The four fires are not expected to burn as long as the Paradise Fire, which was active from May through November of 2015, Wilkolak said.
That wildfire, the largest in the history of the park, burned at least 2,795 acres of rainforest trees and deep duff.
A couple of weeks
“It is possible that we could have some of these fires specifically the Godkin and the Hayes — they could go for a couple of weeks, possibly a little longer,” Wilkolak said.
“We don’t anticipate them burning as long as the fires last year.”
Road Closure
Obstruction Point Road has been closed because of smoke from the Cox Valley Fire about 2 ½ miles northeast of the Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center.
Smoke from the Cox Valley Fire is visible from both the Hurricane Ridge Road and many other areas of the North Olympic Peninsula.
Park and fire personnel were providing assistance and escort for any hikers whose cars may have been parked along the Obstruction Point Road overnight, said Barb Maynes, Olympic National Park spokeswoman on Friday.
The Cox Valley Fire’s extensive smoke is because the blaze is burning in an area of heavy fuels including dead snags, Maynes said.
Firefighters used a helicopter and large bucket on Thursday to drop water onto the Cox Valley Fire and continued that Friday and Saturday.
“We are using water drops to help confine this fire and limit its spread,” said Rachel Spector, acting superintendent, on Friday.
“The terrain is simply too hazardous for ground firefighters.”
In addition to helicopter bucket drops on the Cox Valley Fire, managers plan to use natural barriers such as rock outcrops, landslides, rivers and creeks to confine fire growth.
For more information about the ongoing park fires, email olympicfireinformation@gmail.com or call 360-565-3125.
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Features Editor Chris McDaniel can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56650, or cmcdaniel@peninsuladailynews.com.
