Campfires banned at Mount Rainier National Park as 1,500 acres burn near Packwood

Shea Johnson
·2 min read
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The National Park Service has banned all campfires and the ignition of other materials, including barbecue grills, at Mount Rainier National Park in an effort to reduce the risk of wildfires as the 1,500-acre Goat Rocks Fire burns outside the park.

The parkwide fire ban, in effect since Friday, comes after the Goat Rocks Fire southeast of the national park picked up steam on Friday due to strong winds, according to the National Wildfire Coordinating Group.

The blaze, roughly five to seven miles east of the town of Packwood, was started by lightning on Aug. 9 and had initially been knocked down by fire crews, although they could not completely contain it because of steep and dangerous terrain in the Goat Rocks wilderness area, the NWCG said.

Thus far, the wildfire has prompted evacuation orders for Packwood and surrounding communities and shut down travel in the area. State Route 123 is closed from U.S. 12 to U.S. 410 for all southbound travel, and U.S. 12 is also closed from Skate Creek Road to White Pass summit, the U.S. Forest Service said.

A red flag warning is in effect for much of the state, meaning that fire conditions were critical, and it was expected to last until 7 p.m. Sunday, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

“A combination of moderate breezes, low relative humidity, and warm temperatures can contribute to rapid rates of spread and down-wind spotting on existing fires,” the National Weather Service said.

An air quality alert in place until 6 p.m. Sunday warned of unhealthy air in Pierce and three nearby counties due to wildfire smoke, with the worst conditions expected over Snohomish and northern King counties, according to the NWS.

Meanwhile, wildfires were raging in Oregon and California as well.

In addition to a temporary ban on campfires and igniting wood, briquettes or fire pits, the National Park Service noted that the use of fireworks, tracer ammunition and other incendiary devices is always barred on federal lands.

As long as they can be turned off, portable petroleum-filled cooking stoves, heating devices and lanterns using liquefied or bottled fuel are allowed at Mount Rainier National Park, according to the National Park Service.