In the Olympics, the Bear Gulch Fire grew rapidly over the past couple of days to 3,900 acres. The fire will continue to actively burn, but compared to the unhealthy air quality earlier this week smoke impacts should be much more moderate due to cooler and wetter weather. However, communities closest to the fire will continue to experience the greatest smoke impacts. At higher elevations in the Olympics, smoke may adversely affect hikers, campers, and park visitors. Nearby, the Hamma Fire is 80% contained; smoke impacts from that fire will be minimal. Hazy skies will continue to be visible in the region.
Note also that there is a smoke outlook for the Bear Gulch Fire area that is updated daily--click the box around the fire at the map at the top of this page for the most recent outlook.
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| Bear Gulch fire perimeter and closure map. |
A few new fires began yesterday in Central and Eastern WA, likely sparked by lightning. The Stud Horse Fire (2 miles east of Winthrop) is currently causing smoke impacts in the Winthrop and Twisp area. The Siwash Fire (east of Tonasket), Kinkaid Creek Fire (8 miles north of Nespelem), and Kaiser Canyon Fire (3 miles south of Nespelem) are also causing local smoke impacts. Communities closest to these new fires will observe periods of degraded air quality (moderate to USG) depending on fire behavior.
Good news: other fires in the state are exhibiting minimal fire activity and generating minimal smoke impacts.
Outlook: There is a risk of thunderstorms and gusty winds in Eastern WA today, which could ignite new wildfires and lead to rapid spread. Looking ahead to the middle of next week, there is the potential for rain in Western WA, although how much rain is still an open question. Unfortunately hot and dry conditions statewide will likely return next weekend. For now--and over the next few days--air quality will be mostly good across the state, except near active fires.
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| Fire boat on Lake Cushman with the Bear Gulch plume in the background. Source: Inciweb |
