The Bear Gulch fire continues to burn along Lake Cushman, backing toward the popular Staircase area of Olympic National Park.
The fire is primarily creeping and smoldering through the duff — the dense, peaty layer of partially decomposed moss and litter — and surface vegetation, said incident commander trainee Lauren Clark. There is some isolated torching of trees, and potential for short-range spotting from embers carried by wind. There is also potential for rollout, when burning vegetation rolls downhill and burns back upslope.
The most recent survey mapped the fire at nearly 1,100 acres. The fire is 10% contained. Firefighters continue to construct containment lines, but it is only considered contained when the fire has reached the containment line and stopped spread in that area.
The human-caused fire was reported July 6 near the Mount Rose trailhead. This is the third fire in the area in roughly 30 years, with the most recent in 2006.
All day-use sites, trails and other areas beyond milepost 10.5 on Forest Service road 24 remain closed. The Mount Ellinor trail system and Forest Service road 2419 are also closed.
The fire has grown slowly to the west toward Staircase and is on the east side of the Lincoln Creek drainage.
Firefighters have installed sprinkler systems, and wrapped all of the structures in the Staircase area of the park, Clark said. They are working around the clock to protect it.
Firefighters are preparing Forest Service road 2451 to become a potential control line to protect the Copper Creek community on the southwest side of the lake, and are reducing fuels near Mount Ellinor, according to officials. Firefighters are also constructing fireline to prevent the spread of the fire toward the Big Creek Campground, Lake Cushman Mt. Rose Village, the community of Hoodsport and Highway 101.
A helicopter has been using a 2,500-gallon bucket to make water drops and put out hot spots.
A national incident management organization team took command of the fire last week. The team on Monday assumed oversight of the Hamma fire burning in the Hamma Hamma drainage on state Department of Natural Resources lands northeast of the Bear Gulch fire.
Clark said firefighters are constructing fireline along the edge of the fire, to keep the fire to the smallest footprint.
Elevated fire weather conditions are expected over the next couple of days.
Over 200 personnel, including firefighters, are assigned to the fires.
