Olympic National Park crews are responding to an 86-acre wildfire sparked by lightning in a remote area west of Mount Olympus, according to park officials. The Mount Tom Creek Fire was reported by backpackers on June 24 after a lightning storm moved through the area June 23. The fire was burning on a steep, densely forested mountainside in the Mount Tom Creek Basin, about 5 miles west-northwest of Mount Olympus.
Officials said the fire remained 0% contained as of Thursday. No structures have been damaged and a full suppression strategy is being used. Fire managers have deployed aviation and ground resources, including Type 1 and Type 2 helicopters, reconnaissance aircraft, wildland fire engines and hand crews. A Type 3 Incident Management Team is scheduled to assume command of the fire Friday.
The fire is located about 6 miles from the Hoh Rain Forest administrative site. The Hoh Rain Forest Visitor Center, campground and trails remain open. Rappelers assessed the area and determined it was not feasible to place firefighters directly on the fire line by aircraft because of the distance from landing zones and evacuation routes. Additional hazards include steep terrain, dense vegetation and standing dead trees.
Multiple lightning strikes were recorded across Olympic National Park from Tuesday night through Wednesday afternoon. Crews conducting aerial reconnaissance Wednesday night did not find any additional fires. Weather forecasts call for between a quarter-inch and 1.75 inches of rain in the fire area through Sunday. Officials said the precipitation could slow fire activity but is not expected to extinguish it.
KING-TV NBC 5 Seattle
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