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US 2 Is Open: For safety reasons, WSDOT has released a Travel Advisory.  Beginning at 7 a.m. today, intermittent traffic holds for up to 20 minutes in each direction will take place while crews assess trees between MP 46 and MP 49 near Skykomish. WSDOT does not anticipate road closures at this time. Hundreds of trees have been compromised by the Bolt Creek Fire and considered hazardous to the public.  Fire managers continue to prioritize firefighter and public safety. Please check the WSDOT TRAFFIC website and WSDOT Twitter for up-to-date information before committing to using the highway.

Fire Update: Containment lines on the south, east and west perimeter of the fire along US 2 and near structures continue to hold well. Yesterday, firefighters successfully suppressed a flare-up of several acres on the southern tip of the fire north of Hwy 2. A Type 1 helicopter worked throughout the day dropping water helping to cool the affected area. Firefighters continue to monitor containment lines to ensure that the fire stays within the planned footprint on the southwest, south and southeast edges. A Structural Protection Group completed assessment plans and will remain focused on fire protection, particularly on the east side of Index, to ensure protection is in place should fire become more active. Another day of road preparation and chipper operations took place near Index. Along the highway corridor, crews conducted mop-up operations extinguishing residual fire, smokey areas and smoldering stump holes.

The fire will continue to produce smoke as it burns to the north into Wild Sky Wilderness. Within interior portions of the fire where unburned areas are exposed to sun, wind, and the effects of slope, limited burning and fire spread is expected. This predicted fire behavior is not expected to threaten containment lines.

Other Fire Information:  The Murphy Lake Fire began from a lightning strike on August 18. It is burning about 2 ½ miles southeast of Scenic WA in Wilderness administered by the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest near Murphy Lakes and is visible from Hwy 2. Since its start, it has grown to approximately 10 acres. On October 9 and 11, a helicopter assigned to the nearby Bolt Creek Fire was used to drop water to keep the fire in check. Because of the steep and inaccessible terrain and the low probability of significant growth, there are currently no plans to assign ground-based firefighters to the fire.

Weather: On Wednesday and Thursday, another warm and dry period with increased winds will set up over the area again. A high-pressure system will be moving into the area today, bringing lower relative humidity levels and warmer temperatures than yesterday.  Temperatures are expected in the low and upper 70s with humidity levels near 30%. This system is not expected to bring any precipitation and is also not expected to significantly affect the fire spread along the west, south or east edges of the fire.  Winds will be of low intensities and are not expected to cause significant changes in the fire spread.

Evacuation Guidance: There are no evacuation orders in place at this time.

Smoke Information: Current information on air quality may be found at Washington Smoke Blog at https://wasmoke.blogspot.com/

Forest Closure: The Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest has implemented an Emergency Closure on National Forest lands. Roads, trails, and campgrounds are closed. To read the closure in its entirety, please see:  MBSNF Bolt Creek Fire Closure. A burn ban remains in effect until significant rain is received. Please refrain from burning.