BRINNON — Fires smoldered — but didn’t spread — in Olympic National Park on Tuesday.
The five lightning-caused wildfires still burning within the 922,651-acre park showed little change after flaring up last weekend.
“There was very moderate fire activity today — not any large amounts of growth,” said Mike Johnson, fire information officer for the National Park Service.
“The last 24 hours has been a monitoring phase.”
Ten specialists from the Northern Rockies Southwest Area Fire Management Team took command of the Heatwave Complex on Tuesday to help park officials manage the remaining fires.
A dozen fires in the Heatwave Complex grew during the hot spell in late July.
The team consists of fire managers from Idaho, Montana, Arizona and New Mexico. They include public information officers, safety officers, logistics coordinators and long-term fire forecasters, Johnson explained.
“We appreciate the fire team coming to assist the park in the management of these fires,” Olympic National Park superintendent Karen Gustin said in a prepared statement.
“They bring a wealth of expertise that will assist in achieving the objectives we have identified for each fire.”
Constance fire
The biggest fire in the Heatwave Complex — the Constance fire — has burned an estimated 442 acres of forest in the Dosewallips River Valley at Constance creek.
Not much has changed since Sunday, Anderson said.
Five firefighters are stationed at the Dosewallips Ranger Station near the eastern boundary of the park.
A total of nine firefighters and three helicopters staffed the east side of the Constance fire to confine it to the wilderness.
The fire is about 15 miles from Brinnon.
The 10 Mile fire, which started June 13 as a small, smoldering blaze, flared up to 379 acres Sunday on the steep slopes above the Duckabush River.
That fire has shown little growth since, Anderson said, and poses no danger to the town of Brinnon about 15 miles away.
Representatives of the park, U.S. Forest Service, Brinnon Fire Department and the management team will hold a public meeting at the Brinnon Community Center today at 6 p.m. to provide information on management efforts and a status update on the Constance Fire and Heatwave Complex.
Buckinghorse fire
Meanwhile, the Buckinghorse fire in the upper Elwha Valley in Jefferson County remained at an estimated 312 acres Tuesday, Anderson said.
Across the ridge from the Buckinghorse fire, the Knife fire shrank from 15 acres to an estimated 10 acres.
One fire in Clallam County — the Solduc fire in Seven Lakes Basin — remained less than 1 acre in size.
The Heatwave Complex has burned an estimated 1,078 acres in the park.
Fire management updates are posted on the Web at www.inciweb.org.
For information on trail closures in Olympic National Park, phone 360-565-3100.
The state Department of Natural Resources has elevated the fire danger to high.
“This means that all outdoor burning is banned, including recreational fires within the city,” Port Angeles Fire Marshal Ken Dubuc said Tuesday.
“All Clallam County fire agencies, including the Port Angeles Fire Department, follow suit when these restrictions are put in place.”
Johnny Burg, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Seattle, expects temperatures to stay mild throughout the week. Highs are expected to remain in the 70s on the east slope of the Olympic Mountains
“Temperatures aren’t going to be too hot,” Burg said.
Chance of rain Friday
The chance of showers will increase on Friday, Burg added.
Park officials say wildfires of low to moderate severity — like the Heatwave Complex — are essential to the ecosystem. They burn the forest understory and maintain wildlife habitats by releasing nutrients that stimulate plant growth, park officials say.
The park banned campfires in the backcountry on Monday. The exception are those in established fire pits in designated campgrounds and below the high tide line along the coast.
Other state fires
Fire crews across the state continue to fight numerous fires.
The state’s biggest fire has burned about 3 ½ square miles, or 2,271 acres, in the remote forests west of Yakima. The lightning-sparked fire was 5 percent contained Tuesday.
Meanwhile, British Columbia has called for more firefighters to protect property from wildfires, and 30 specialists from Australia and New Zealand are among those responding.
Forest Minister Pat Bell said the number of fires is stretching resources.
The Canadian Press reports 850 personnel from across Canada are helping almost 3,000 British Columbia firefighters at hundreds of fires.
One 13-square-mile fire is threatening Lilloet, where 2,300 people were forced to evacuate Sunday as winds pushed the flames within site of the town, 155 miles northeast of Vancouver.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
