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Weather: Wind gusts up to 30 mph hit the Goat Rocks Fire area as a weather system moved in Friday morning. Rain followed the wind, with rainfall totals of 0.7 inches or more on the fire as of 6 a.m. today. This was a “wetting rain”, enough to make it through the canopy of tree branches down to the forest floor.

Rainy, windy weather is expected again today.  Temperatures will stay in the 30s and 40s, with winds gusting up to 25 mph on the ridges. Over the coming days, more rain and cool temperatures are in the forecast.

Yesterday: Firefighters patrolled Forest Roads 46 and 41, checking that the fire did not cross the roads in the Dam Creek and Lake Creek drainages. The western tip of the fire in Coal Creek drainage was checked, with no heat found.

Crews pulled surplus hoses and other equipment from some contingency lines and hauled it to central locations for return to fire camp. Heavy equipment continued to move woody debris and slash piles from Forest Roads 1266 and 41. Firefighters patrolled the neighborhoods west of the fire.

Today: Fire personnel will patrol and monitor the fire area, including areas near structures and Packwood Lake.  Firefighters are limiting their time spent in burned areas to avoid the hazards of blown-down trees and rolling debris. Western Hemlock trees have shallow roots which can be damaged by fire. Trees that are green and look healthy have been falling without warning, especially when it’s windy. Rocks and large chunks of wood are rolling down steep slopes onto roads, creating hazards for personnel and vehicles.

More hoses and other equipment are being removed from fire lines where they are no longer needed. Backhaul of surplus items from the fire line to fire camp continues.

Although fire suppression work has slowed, fire personnel are beginning another phase of activity. They are starting on repair work, including projects necessary to stabilize soils and mitigate damage caused by firefighting efforts. Currently, they are clearing debris out of ditches and culvert inlets to ensure proper drainage when it rains.

Today, Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team (CIMT) 3 will be shadowing the current organization managing the Goat Rocks Fire, in preparation for tomorrow’s transfer of command.
 
EVACUATION LEVEL 2 – BE SET!     

All areas north of Butter Creek are at Level 2 (Be Set) evacuation. This includes Upper and Lower Timberline, Goat Rocks, Riverdance, and parts of High Valley. This is precautionary due to Goat Rocks Fire behavior. Packwood proper is not under evacuation status at this time. See accompanying Public Information map.

Monitor https://bit.ly/LewisCountyAlerts or https://bit.ly/LewisCountyEMFB for changes.

Forest Closures: A road and trail closure within the Gifford National Forest is in place. Closure order: https://bit.ly/GoatRocksClosureOrder  Closure map: https://bit.ly/GoatRocksFireClosureMap