News Release

Olympic National Park Fire Update- September 14

Low Divide Fire

NPS Photo

News Release Date: September 14, 2023

Contact: Public Affairs Office, 360-565-3005

Port Angeles, Wash. – The fires across the park had a slight increase in activity today. The warmer and drier weather that was forecasted for this weekend has started to arrive. Fire managers are expecting increased activity tomorrow and into the weekend ahead of the next cold front early next week.  

It is important to note that the acreage increases in the table below are not from a single day’s fire activity. Accurately mapping fires of this scale is challenging due to the steep and rugged terrain of the wilderness. Firefighters must use a combination of on the ground mapping with GPS, helicopter flight tracking, and flights / satellites with infrared capabilities to first get the data; then process it into usable maps to get an accurate size. The timing of weather delays, density of trees, and the return of data from firefighters in the wilderness can ultimately slow down processing an updated size.   

The Eagle Point Fire had smoke visible on the upper slopes of the fire this afternoon, but the fire is burning within the existing fire footprint. Smoke was visible from Hurricane Ridge, Port Angeles, and Sequim but the fire currently posses no threat to critical infrastructure or communities.  

On the Low Divide Fire, the fire has not yet reached the North Fork Quinault River and is estimated to be 500 feet upslope of the river as it is backing slowly down towards it. A fire crew remains in the wilderness staffing both the Low Divide and Martins Lakes Fires.  

During a helicopter reconnaissance flight today, a new fire was discovered, believed to be from the same lightning storm on August 28 based on its location. Named the Mount Queets Fire, it’s ½ acre in size, burning on the steep slopes of Mount Queets. This is not an uncommon occurrence, as it can take even months for smoke to be visible from a lightning strike, especially in wilderness where there are limited numbers of people to discover and report new wildfires.   
 

Fire Name	Initial Report	Estimated Size as of 9/14	Location
Hurricane	8/28/23	4 acres	2,000 ft below Hurricane Ridge parking area
Eagle Point	8/28/23	122 acres	~5 miles out Obstruction Point Road
Diamond Mountain	9/1/23	30 acres	3.3 miles NE of   Anderson Pass
Low Divide	9/1/23	90 acres	2 miles SW of Low Divide
Delabarre	9/1/23	1 acre	3 miles SE of Mount Christie
Martins Lake	9/2/23	31 acres	2 miles NE of Mount Christie

 

Fire is an integral part of the forested ecosystems on the Olympic Peninsula; plants and animals here have evolved with fire for thousands of years. Many factors such as weather, topography, and vegetation influence fire behavior and the effects that fires have on natural resources. 

Background Information 

All seven active fires in Olympic National Park ignited when a series of lightning strikes occurred on the Olympic Peninsula in the afternoon on August 28.  

Closures   

Due to wildfire activity the following closures are in effect until further notice:  

The Skyline Trail is closed between the top of the Elip Creek Connector trail and Low Divide until further notice. This closure affects 20 miles of the Skyline Trail and includes both Three Prune and Lake Beauty wilderness campsites. Additionally, the North Fork Quinault Trail from Elip Creek trail junction to Chicago Camp is also now closed and includes the Trapper, Sixteen Mile, and Low Divide wilderness campsites. The Martins Park Trail remains closed. 

Obstruction Point Road and the trailhead will be closed until further notice.  

Olympic National Park Wilderness Information Center (WIC) will be notifying backcountry permit holders who may be impacted by this closure. Any permit holders who plan to backpack in the above impacted areas should contact the WIC at 360-565-2992 or by emailing [e-mail]. 

Weather and Fire Behavior 

The warmer and drier weather this weekend will have the potential to increase fire activity. Following that, another low-pressure system may move into the area. This cycle of weather patterns will cause fire activity to fluctuate in response to the different temperatures, humidities, and any precipitation that falls.
  

Information for the Eagle Point Fire can be found at: Eagle Point Fire Information | InciWeb (wildfire.gov) 

Information for the Hurricane Fire can be found at: Hurricane Fire Information | InciWeb (wildfire.gov) 

Olympic National Park information: www.nps.gov/olym  
Olympic National Forest information: www.fs.usda.gov/olympic 
State and county area burn bans: www.waburnbans.net    

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