OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK — Another lightning-sparked wildfire has been located in the Olympic Mountains, raising the total number of Peninsula fires to six this summer.
The latest, the LaCrosse Fire, is located about 12 miles west of the Duckabush trailhead in East Jefferson County and was identified by aircraft Sunday near the LaCrosse Pass trail, said Celeste Prescott, spokeswoman for the Paradise Fire management team.
“It is pretty small. It was two logs burning,” Prescott said.
Fire managers intended to send in a crew to assess the fire, which is burning in a “difficult area,” but higher-priority missions required the personnel to be used elsewhere, she said.
Prescott said another attempt to inspect the LaCrosse Fire will be made as soon as people are available.
The new fire joined the still-burning Paradise, Hayes, Cabin Creek and Gold fires, as well as the now-extinguished Zion Fire. All were started by lightning strikes.
The weather is forecast to be warmer and drier over the next few days, and smoke from all fires in the region will likely increase, according to fire managers.
■ The Paradise Fire, about 12 miles inside Olympic National Park boundaries in the Queets River valley, remained at 2,440 acres Monday.
Sunday’s clear skies and calm weather allowed helicopter operations on the fire, including bucket drops on the western and northwestern edges of the fire.
The Sequoia-Kings are expected to use small portable pumps to fight the fire along Bob Creek, assisted by bucket drops from the helicopter.
■ The Hayes Fire, at about one-tenth of an acre, was discovered Saturday and was burning in a steep and nearly inaccessible area near the Hayden Pass Trail west of Quilcene.
A helicopter was able to insert two helitack firefighters into the fire area and determined it is a creeping and smoldering fire with slow spread.
The two crew members are temporarily assigned to the fire, with assistance from a helicopter.
Gold Cabin Complex
Two fires of the Gold Cabin Complex in Olympic National Forest sparked by Wednesday’s lightning storm were in a “mop-up” phase, according to fire managers.
Resources assisting with the suppression efforts include four hand-crews, two engines, two tree faller teams and two water tenders with assistance from Paradise Fire helicopters.
■ The Gold Fire, located near Bon Jon Pass 10 miles south of Blyn, remained at about 10 acres and was considered to be “substantially contained” as of Monday morning.
The Gold and Cabin Creek fires were renamed the Gold Cabin Complex as a single managed fire system.
As a result of the Gold Fire, the Little Quilcene Trail remained closed from its trailhead to the Tubal Cain Trailhead, as well as the Mount Townsend Trail from the top of Mount Townsend to the Little Quilcene Trail.
Also closed are Forest Service Road 2820 and Forest Service Road 2820-100, all until further notice.
■ The Cabin Creek Fire, 3 miles northeast of Lena Lake and the Hamma Hamma campgrounds, remained at 8 acres Monday.
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Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5070, or at arice@peninsuladailynews.com.
