News Release

East Beach Road Fire Update July 31, 2020

Date: July 31, 2020
Contact: Fire Information Line, 360-565-2986

East Beach Road Fire Status:

Acres Burned: 65 acres
Cause: Human Caused
Engines: 5
Tenders: 2
Helicopters: 3
Hand Crews: 5
Heavy Equipment: 3
Fallers: 2
Containment: 0%
Total personnel: 125

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 and is estimated to be approximately 63 acres. The fire is burning primarily on a south facing slope in steep heavy timber with shrub understory and is being pushed uphill by terrain driven winds. Heavy smoke and isolated single tree torching may be visible in the coming days as there is a warm dry weather pattern expected for the region. Suspected of being human ignited and the cause and origin are under investigation.

Current Situation: The Western Washington Type 3 Incident Management will be taking over the East Beach Road fire today at noon. The team is composed of multi-agency firefighters from all over Western Washington who specialize in managing wildland fires. The team will be working with the National Park Service and Washington Department of Natural Resources to develop a plan to fully suppress the fire and minimize its impact on the landscape. The plan for today is to work on access at the north end of the fire working off of old logging roads. Firefighters will continue to arrive throughout the day and start working on securing line around the fire.

Evacuations and Closures: East Beach Rd is closed from Hwy 101 to Log Cabin Resort. Access to East Beach Rd between Hwy 101 and Log Cabin Resort is for local residents only. Log Cabin Resort is still operating and anyone trying to gain access to Log Cabin Resort will need to take Hwy 112 to Piedmont Rd. Day use recreation sites along East Beach Road in Olympic National Park are closed to the public at this time.

Cooperating Agencies: Olympic National Park, Department of Natural Resources Olympic Region, Olympic Interagency Fire Management, Clallam County Sheriff’s Department and Emergency Services.