A firefighting response team has officially taken command of the blaze in Mount Rainier National Park.
Northwest Incident Management Team 13 started sending in the Baker River Hotshots into the Grand Park 2 Fire today, Aug. 12, to assist crews working to secure the fire’s edge and limit further movement into the Huckleberry Creek drainage area, Greenwater/Crystal Mountain Fire Chief Paul Sowers posted on Facebook.
Locals may see helicopters performing shuttle missions to transport hotshot equipment into the forest.
The fire is estimated to be 225 acres large, and is currently 0% contained, according to the federal wildfire database InciWeb. A total of 144 personnel are assigned to this fire, with an estimated containment date of Oct. 31.
Some of the personnel are members of the Baker River Interagency Hotshot Crew, a highly-trained wildland fire suppression crew, according to the U.S. Forest Service. Hotshots and other crew members have already conducted risk assessments around the Sunrise Visitor Center and removed or reduced flammable fuels in the area.
Similar actions may be taken at the White River Administrative Site and the Huckleberry Cabin as additional resources arrive and if fire behavior changes.
According to InciWeb, crews are wary of incoming thunderstorms.
“Thunderstorm chances increase across the region beginning Wednesday, but the best chances near the Grand Park 2 incident will come Thursday night/Friday as mid-level winds turn southwesterly,” the website reads. “Thunderstorms could produce gusty outflow winds and lightning if they develop in the fire area.”
Besides that, “There is little fire weather concern for the incident over the next 72 hours.”
Decreased humidity in the coming days may also be a factor in heightened fire weather conditions.
