Firefighters are gaining ground on a wildfire burning near one of Mount Rainier’s most popular destinations, the Sunrise Visitor Center.
The Grand Park 2 Fire has burned 167 acres and was 57% contained as of Monday, with 229 personnel assigned to the incident, according to fire officials. The fire started Aug. 7 about 3 miles north of the visitor center. The cause remains under investigation.
Larissa Bogardus, a public information officer with the Northwest 13 Incident Management Team, said the biggest challenge now is keeping the fire out of steep drainages nearby.
“The big issue we’re up against now is keeping the fire out of the Huckleberry Creek drainage and the West Fork of the White River drainage,” Bogardus said. “Those are super steep slopes in there.”
Mount Rainier shrouded in haze, visible even from the International Space Station
Smoke from wildfires in the Cascades has been visible well beyond the park and well beyond Earth. Astronauts aboard the International Space Station photographed Mount Rainier shrouded in haze earlier this month.
At the Sunrise Visitor Center, crews are clearing vegetation that could carry fire to the historic structures and installing a sprinkler system fed by pumps and water tanks.
Bogardus said the team has worked closely with the park to balance fire protection with preservation.
“We are able to remove those fuels, that vegetation that could carry fire up to those historic structures, but also maintain the natural landscape to the greatest extent possible,” she said.
An Australian task force leader has joined the operation as part of an international mutual aid agreement that has brought more than 300 fire specialists to the Pacific Northwest. All international personnel meet U.S. wildland fire qualification standards.
Sunrise Visitor Center, White River Road, and all trails in the Grand Park area remain closed until further notice. The rest of Mount Rainier National Park is open.
A warming and drying trend is expected later this week, which fire officials said could make the fire more active within its current perimeter.
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