23 wildfires burning in Lewis County, and there could be more

Aug. 30—Across Lewis County, more than 30 fires of various sizes have been reported over the last week. As of Wednesday, rain early in the week left five in the county that are being actively monitored and at least 23 that have been reported and named.

Many are thought to have been caused by lightning strikes igniting already dry underbrush late last week. Thunder and lightning continued to roll into the region early this week as well, so the Lewis County Division of Emergency Management hopes travelers to the woods will expect fire hazards beyond what has been reported so far.

Following is a list of fires last reported at more than 1 acre that are impacting Lewis County compiled from information on Inciweb.nwcg.gov, the nonprofit Fire Weather Avalanche, from news releases by the Gifford Pinchot National Forest and the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center. Each is thought, so far, to have been caused by lightning.

In west and central Lewis County, the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has formed a complex incident management type 3 team. Here are fires to monitor on the western half of the county:

Chandler Road Fire

As the crow flies, this fire is about 1 mile due north of Chandler Road in Doty. On Wednesday, this fire was reported at 50 acres. It began on Aug. 25. It's being managed by DNR, and there is no immediate threat to the public at this time. Residents of Doty have reported raining ash and heavy smoke, however, and should monitor notifications from Emergency Management in case evacuation becomes necessary.

Harmony Fire and Cowlitz Complex

As of Wednesday morning, this fire west of Morton was reported at 2 acres and had been 40% contained. Less than a mile away, another fire, last reported to be about one-tenth of an acre, was also being monitored by DNR. Both fires were reported on Aug. 25. There is no threat to the public at this time.

The Gifford Pinchot National Forest has more than 40 active fires, and several of those are active in Lewis County. Three fires in Lewis County are currently being worked on. A type 2 complex incident management team was formed early on Wednesday morning and is managing the fires by ranking priorities of public safety and risk to infrastructure and natural resources, according to a Wednesday morning news release.

"As a result, four of the fires have been identified for immediate attention, while the remaining fires will be addressed based on resource availability, fire behavior, and values at risk over the coming days or weeks," the news release reported.

Collectively, this response is titled the "Cowlitz Complex Fires."

The priority four:

South Fork Fire

Reported on Wednesday morning at 15 acres, the South Fork Fire is located 5.5 miles west-southwest of Packwood, Washington, in the South Fork Williams Creek drainage. Firefighters have established containment lines around the fire perimeter and will continue working to identify and extinguish heat sources within the fire perimeter.

Carlton Ridge Fire

Also at 15 acres on Wednesday, the Carlton Ridge Fire is about one half-mile northeast of private property on Carlton Ridge, about 7.5 miles northwest of White Pass. Two homes are currently under Level 3, "Go now" evacuation orders. Crews have established containment lines around the fire perimeter and are securing the edge and mopping up heat sources near containment lines.

Grassy Mountain Fire

On Wednesday, the 6-acre Grassy Mountain Fire was reported to be 4.5 miles northeast of Randle, Washington, on the northern slope of Grassy Mountain. The remote location, dense forest canopy and steep terrain limit access to safely get fire crews in and out of the fire area. The Grassy Mountain fire is currently unstaffed while a strategy is planned, the incident management team reported.

The Snagtooth and Spencer Quartz Fires

The Gifford Pinchot's largest and most complex challenge currently comes from the Snagtooth and Spencer Quartz Fires, 21 miles south of Randle on the southern side of Snagtooth Mountain. The two had grown to a combined 449 acres by Wednesday. Neither is in Lewis County, but both require resources that may otherwise be used in more local fires.

Access is limited due to the remote location and steep terrain. Crews scouted the fire yesterday and are identifying values at risk and assessing the potential for growth. A suppression response strategy is being developed.

Others north of U.S. Highway 12:

Pothole Fire

Burning at 6 acres along the Sawtooth Ridge as of Wednesday, this is another lightning-caused fire. Its location is 12.8 miles north of Randle, however, and does not pose a threat to the public at this time. It is on U.S. Forest Service land, and the Forest Service is currently working to address blazes that pose more immediate threats. Note that there is a different "Pothole Fire" in Oregon between Sisters and Eugene.

Yew Fire

Reported early this week, the Yew Fire is at 1.5 acres, 8.5 miles northeast of Randle.

Willame Fire

This fire, according to a Monday update, was burning approximately 5 acres and is just under 8 miles northeast of Randle.

Seven other fires, the Davis Creek, Davis Mountain, Allen Mountain, Cougar Gap, Skate, Silver and Lake Creek fires, were reported on the Cowlitz Complex map northeast of Randle and west of Packwood. No additional information was provided about each blaze as of Wednesday.

Others south of U.S. Highway 12:

Jackpot Creek

As of Monday, the Jackpot Creek Fire was reported at 38 acres and was 0% contained. It is 1.5 miles south of Jackpot Lake and about 10.7 miles southeast of Randle.

Mission Fire

The Mission Fire, last reported at 6.5 acres on Sunday, is 15.2 miles east of Randle.

Five other fires, called the Horseshoe, Twin Sisters, St. Michael, Klickitat and Blue Lake fires, were also reported on the Cowlitz Complex map northeast of Randle and west of Packwood. No additional information was provided about each blaze as of Wednesday.

For more information about the Cowlitz Complex Fires, head to Facebook.com/CowlitzComplex, email 2023.cowlitzcomplex@firenet.gov or call 360-208-8075 between the hours of 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.

Recent rain, cloud cover and higher humidity have helped reduce fire activity to "creeping and smoldering," the incident management team reported on Wednesday, giving firefighters time and opportunity to respond.

There is still potential for these fires to rekindle in warmer, dryer and windier conditions, however, as many are under a thick forest duff. Fire activity during the day on Wednesday was expected to be minimal due to high humidity and temperatures in the 60s for most of the Gifford Pinchot.

A temporary flight restriction is in place over Mount Rainier National Park, U.S. Highway 12 and in other places near the fires. Drones and other aircraft force firefighting aircraft to land, which hinders firefighting and puts people at risk.

Fire restrictions are also in effect throughout Lewis County. Sign up for Lewis County Alerts to receive text and email notifications on evacuation orders and other emergencies. Search for "Lewis County Alerts" in any browser and follow Emergency Management's prompts to sign up.