Wildfire east of Eatonville weakened by moister weather after dry weekend, officials say
A wildfire about four miles east of Eatonville in the Elbe Hills State Forest is not expected to grow beyond the 150 acres of land that have burned since Saturday, fire officials said.
The fire was previously thought to have been about 225 acres, but a helicopter flight Monday evening gave officials a more accurate estimate of the size.
Better weather conditions Monday with higher humidity and lower temperatures helped weaken the wildfire after a weekend of dry conditions, according to a state incident management team tasked with managing the blaze called the 8 Road Fire. Now crews are working to improve and hold containment lines in case the wildfire becomes more active, Western Washington Type 3 Incident Management Team spokesperson Michele Laboda said.
Rain forecast to arrive across Western Washington later in the week should help to douse fire. The National Weather Service’s Seattle office tweeted Tuesday that two frontal systems expected to arrive Friday afternoon will bring the first widespread rainfall to the region since early summer.
“That would make a significant impact on the fire,” Laboda said. “But we won’t count on that until we see it arriving.”
About 100 properties off Scott Turner Road southeast of Eatonville remained under a Level 1 evacuation warning Tuesday that cautions residents to be ready to leave. Laboda said the property closest to the wildfire is about four miles away.
The fire was first reported Saturday at about 4 p.m. and has been burning timber and brush. According to a Tuesday update from the incident management team, the cause of the fire has not been determined and is under investigation.
Two roads were closed, according to the incident management team, including where Scott Turner Road becomes 8 Road at the 501 Gate and at the junction of 8 Road and 5 Road at the 503 gate.
On Saturday and Sunday, firefighters worked from the ground and the air to slow the wildfire’s progress. Helicopters from the Department of Natural Resources dropped water while crews from multiple Pierce County fire districts, including Graham, South Pierce and District 23 worked the fire.
The state incident management team took over command of the response to the wildfire Monday morning at the request of the DNR, Laboda said. She said 76 people were working on the fire Tuesday.
This story was originally published October 18, 2022 at 2:22 PM.
