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Goat Rocks Fire Update for October 3, 2022
Goat Rocks Fire
Publication Type: News 10/03/2022
The system will continue to dry out the forest, making fuels more likely to burn. No rain is forecasted in the short-term. Lighter winds and shorter days will help reduce risks associated with the drying trend.
Winds today are expected to be light, without a return to the gusty winds that hit the fire Saturday. Windy weather circulates the warm, dry air, drawing moisture out of vegetation. Calmer weather dries fuels more slowly.
A lack of wind allows an inversion to last later into the day. While this stationary air can be unpleasantly smoky and hazardous to some people, it suppresses fire activity by restricting air flow to the fire. An inversion can also provide smoke shading, where smoke in the air blocks sunlight, lowering temperatures. When an inversion breaks, smoky air is mixed with or replaced by fresh air. This brings more oxygen to the fire, one of the key components needed for a fire to burn.
Sunshine beating down on the forest helps dry and pre-heat fuels. As days get shorter, there are fewer hours of sunshine impacting fuels, and a shorter period when a fire is most likely to be active. Long nights provide more time for temperatures to drop and relative humidity to rise.
As the inversion lifted Sunday, fire activity increased on the Goat Rocks Fire. Limited fire spread was seen in the upper Coal Creek drainage and east of Forest Road 4612. An area showing increased smoke was close to Bluff Lake toward the northwest edge of the fire. All of Sunday’s fire activity appeared to be burning fuels on the ground. The risk of torching increases this week as fuels get drier.
Firefighters are working on improving protective hose lays in the Upper Timberline neighborhood. Patrols are on-going in the Timberline and Goat Rocks neighborhoods. Cutting of hazard trees has been completed on Forest Road 46, but chipping and other treatments continue.
Forest Closures: For information on current road and trail closures, you can go to this link: https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd1060181.pdf
Evacuations: Areas northeast of Butter Creek and north of US-12, including Lower Timberline and Goat Rocks, are still at an Evacuation Level 1 (Be Ready). Upper Timberline remains at an Evacuation Level 2 (Be Set).
Fire Restrictions: Campfire bans and other use restrictions are in place across the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. Campfires are allowed within certain campgrounds identified on: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/giffordpinchot/alerts-notices.
Public Safety: It’s a school day. Watch for children along roads and stop for buses.
Sign-up For Alerts: To receive alerts from Lewis County in the case of an emergency, sign up at https://lewiscountywa.gov/departments/emergency-management/lewis-county-alert/
The percent of containment on a fire is one measure of progress, but not the only one. Completion of firefighting objectives is another measure of progress. These objectives include construction of control lines and protecting highly valued resources such as the Packwood community, sensitive tribal resources, and historic structures at Packwood Lake. This deliberate and methodical strategy is designed to achieve these protection goals without subjecting firefighters to unacceptable risk.