Single Publication

 Overview: The Goat Rocks Fire continues to burn 1.5 miles northeast of the town of Packwood, Washington in and around the Goat Rocks Wilderness. Smoke was visible with increased fire activity Friday afternoon in the Dam Creek and Coal Creek areas but crews kept the fire’s growth in check; its edge remains about ½ mile from Upper Timberline. Fire managers continue to make good progress toward completing firefighting objectives; 85% of indirect control lines have been completed and firefighters have protected multiple acres in the Coal Creek drainage with direct control lines.  Firefighter and public safety are the highest priority on the Goat Rocks Fire.   

Firefighting Activity: Yesterday, there was another small “slop” (cross) over the control line on Coal Creek’s north side, just beyond the previous day’s slop over on the fire’s western edge. Another small spot was located across the creek; firefighters contained these areas with both hand lines and hose lines.  They identified Forest Road 4618 to serve as an additional fire break below Forest Road 4612, and worked to open it up by removing fuels. Woody debris removal was on-going along Forest Road 041 On the northeastern edge near Dam Creek, fire continued to burn through heavy fuels where the terrain is much more challenging. Helicopters worked to suppress that portion of the fire with on-going bucket drops. Chipping along Forest Road 46 was completed. A small crew patrolled the Timberline and Goat Rocks communities. Though firefighters have finished work in those neighborhoods, they are leaving equipment in place. Fire managers ask the public to leave the equipment where it is; crews will remove it when appropriate.  

Today, firefighters will continue prepping the 4618 Road and watching for hot spots around Coal Creek. Crews will maintain a presence in the neighborhoods. Fire managers will monitor the fire in the Dam Creek drainage, using helicopter bucket drops as necessary to moderate its growth. Crews will finish chipping at the new helispot along Forest Road 46, and the heavy equipment will be repositioned to the fire’s western side to assist with debris removal there. Nevada Incident Management Team (IMT) 4 will in-brief this morning, shadowing Northwest IMT 10 until they take command of the Goat Rocks Fire on Sunday evening. At the end of today’s shift, the incident’s helicopter base will move from Tieton to Packwood Airport. 

Weather: Increasing temperatures are expected for Saturday.  A stable air mass with light easterly winds may trap smoke near the surface around some parts of the fire. Sunday is forecast to bring higher temperatures and lower humidity through Tuesday. There is a chance of light precipitation later in the week.  

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: Today is National Public Lands Day. As you travel to visit or volunteer on efforts to restore, beautify and improve the many and varied public lands around our area, drive carefully to keep both the public and firefighters safe.  

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.