News Release

East Beach Road Fire Update - August 10 Summary

Date: August 10, 2020
Contact: Fire Information Line, 360-565-2986

Incident Summary: On Wednesday, July 29 at 4 pm a wildfire was discovered just north of East Beach Road near Lake Crescent in Olympic National Park. The East Beach Road Fire was first reported to Olympic National Park Fire Management. The East Beach Road Fire has burned 84 acres and is 98% contained. A small portion of the fire perimeter (approx. 2%) has fireline, but due to extremely steep terrain and safety concerns, crews were not able to conduct mop up operations to fully extinguish hot spots within 50 feet of the line. This area is being monitored closely and fire behavior is minimal at this time. The fire is suspected of being human-ignited and the cause and origin are still under investigation. 

Current Situation: Even with wet moist weather, the East Beach Road Fire has potential to smolder and creep in heavy accumulations of downed logs, underground root systems, and forest debris for several weeks. Occasional smoke at Lake Crescent and the surrounding area will most likely continue until heavy rainfall in the autumn months. Flames may be visible after sundown as fire activity becomes more noticeable in the night sky. Fire personnel will be on scene for the foreseeable future to monitor fire behavior. Updates will be provided as needed if the situation changes.

Road Closures: Due to the hazardous situation, East Beach Road is closed to visitor traffic at the Hwy 101 intersection. Log Cabin Resort is still operating and can be accessed via Hwy 112 to Joyce-Piedmont Rd. All day use recreation sites along East Beach Road in Olympic National Park are closed. Local residents can access property up to 2 miles west of Hwy 101 or from Log Cabin Resort up to the hard closure.