Single Publication

Goat Rocks Fire
September 18, 2022
 
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 area. Firefighters continue to thin and remove fuels along roads to act as fuel breaks and remove the fuels cut from around structures in the Timberline, Goat Rocks, and High Valley communities.

Fire Activity: Yesterday firefighters completed a section of contingency line connecting Forest Road 4610 and Forest Road 041, providing an additional option for the protection of the community of Packwood. A chipper was also utilized, and crews began to chip the material cut and gathered from around the structures.

Today, personnel will be working along the Forest Road 041 and 4610 to improve and strengthen contingency lines where needed. With the completion of the hand line, equipment and firefighters will be reassigned to Forest Road 46 north of the fire to speed up the chipping process there. Firefighters will continue to chip the material cut from around homes and dispose of the brush and other debris gathered during structure protection operations.

Containment: Fire managers typically consider a portion of line contained when the control line is in place, fuels between the control line and main fire have been burned away, and all heat has been extinguished next to the line. Due to the difficult terrain, firefighters have been unable to safely engage the fire’s edge. To protect personnel and minimize the impact on the Wilderness Area, crews have been constructing control lines along the existing road systems around the fire. Burning the fuels between the line and the fire’s edge would increase containment but it would also dramatically increase the size of the fire.

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: All of Packwood and areas southwest of Butter Creek, including High Valley, have had their evacuation orders lifted. 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 and much of the region. Campfires are allowed within certain campgrounds on an approved list at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/giffordpinchot/alerts-notices.

Weather: Higher temperatures and a lower humidity will continue today but there will be a slight chance for rain in the evening. Light winds out of the east will continue to blow warm dry air over the pass and push smoke into Packwood and the surrounding communities. This increase in smoke is not due to an uptick in fire activity but rather movement of smoke already affecting the area. The winds will remain light and not cause additional fire spread.

Public Safety: Increased traffic is expected with the ongoing weekend activities and fire personnel continuing to work in the area. Please use caution when traveling near the area and adhere to the posted speed limits.

Donations: Northwest Incident Management Team 10 would like to extend to the community a heartfelt thank you for all your generous offers to provide donations to firefighters. Firefighters are well-provisioned, so we invite you to donate to your local Red Cross, Lewis County Fire District #10 (Packwood) and the Wildland Firefighter Foundation.