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Bolt Creek Fire

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Incident Contacts

  • Fire Information
    Email:
    2022.boltcreek@firenet.gov
    Phone:
    360-677-2414
    Hours:
    M-F 8:00am - 4:30pm (PT)

10/17/2022 Bolt Creek Fire Update

Bolt Creek Fire
Publication Type: News 10/17/2022

US 2: Hwy 2 is open but may be subject to intermittent delays if debris falls onto the road. Washington State Department of Transportation crews continue to partner with the incident command team managing the fire. Road closure information is posted in the WSDOT  real-time travel center and by @wsdot_traffic on Twitter and updates will be provided as road status changes. Intermittent closures may cause delays. For your safety please remain in your vehicle if stopped in the road.

Fire Update: On the Bolt Creek Fire, crews have successfully maintained containment lines during the Red Flag conditions of very low humidity, high temperatures and increased wind. On the western flank of the fire east of Index, firefighters continue to work to control fire spread to the west towards the 6022 Road and north into the Lewis Creek drainage. A Structural Protection Group completed assessment plans and remains focused on protecting structures, particularly on the east side of Index and along the Index-Galena Road, in the event the fire becomes more active. The fire will continue to produce smoke as it burns to the north into Wild Sky Wilderness. Unburned areas within the fire are increasingly dried out by unseasonably warm temperatures and low humidity. Some firefighting resources are being reassigned to other emerging local fires.

Weather: Monday through Wednesday will be up to a few degrees cooler than Sunday, with a very slight increase in humidity. However, it will remain warmer and drier than normal for mid-October. Winds will be lighter and variable in direction, with inversions setting up at night.

Evacuation Guidance: The Red Flag Warning prompted a Level 1 Evacuation Guidance (Be Ready) for the Baring and Index areas. Please see more information here: https://bit.ly/3T7dLfN . Today fire managers will reevaluate the need for Level 1, in consideration of more moderate weather and good progress on fire containment.

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.

The USFS Burn Area Emergency Response (BAER) report for the Bolt Creek Fire can be found on the Inciweb page: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/news/8429/

Washington State Department of Natural Resources has issued a Wildfire-Associated Landslide Emergency Response Team Report at: https://www.dnr.wa.gov/sites/default/files/publications/ger_hazards_landslide_walert_report_bolt_creek_suiattle_boulder_toketie_2022.pdf