Hazy skies forecast for Pierce County as fire in Olympics continues to burn
You may smell smoke in the air for the next few days, along with seeing some hazy skies.
Smoke from the Bear Gulch Fire burning in Olympic National Park near Lake Cushman streamed across areas of the Puget Sound region Tuesday night.
Social media posts showed various images of dark, overcast skies starting early Tuesday evening in areas spanning Whatcom County and Key Peninsula as well as portions of King County.
Warmer temperatures and dry weather were cited as contributing factors to increased fire activity and smoke production. Cooler temperatures with highs in the low-to-mid 70s are forecast Wednesday and Thursday, rain and still cooler temperatures are forecast for Friday and Saturday.
Fire operations section chief Nate Crawford told reporters on Wednesday morning the fire grew approximately 1,200 acres on Tuesday. The fire has burned more than 7,300 acres and is just 3 percent contained.
That’s up from more than 3,000 acres burned as of Aug. 1.
Officials stated Wednesday in a release that “a smoke column reached nearly 30,000 feet into the atmosphere” on Tuesday.
As for Wednesday, “active fire remains with northwesterly winds reaching gusts of up to 20 mph.”
By noon Wednesday, a few air-monitoring sites on airnow.gov, including a monitor in the Port of Tacoma area and monitors in Bremerton and Seattle, were picking up higher levels of air particulates.
Graeme Carvlin is an air-quality forecaster with Puget Sound Clean Air Agency. He told The News Tribune on Wednesday in response to questions, “We expect overhead smoke from the Bear Gulch fire today and tomorrow in Pierce County.”
He added, “This could lead to a noticeable haze.”
The smoke “is expected to stay high up in the atmosphere, and smoke impacts at ground level should be minimal. Though with local fires there is always the possibility of a slight change in winds leading to temporary ground level smoke.”
Carvlin added that the storm front arriving Friday “should shift winds to the north and help clear out any smoke.”
Meanwhile, Mason County is under an Air Quality Alert until 9 a.m. Friday issued by the Olympic Region Clean Air Agency. “Particulate matter (PM 2.5) levels may reach very unhealthy or hazardous in areas closest to the fire,” according to the alert. It recommended that people should reduce exposure by staying indoors and filtering their indoor air.
The Bear Gulch fire began the evening of July 6, and officials are still seeking tips on how it started. For more information on submitting tips, go to the U.S. Forest Service’s website.
This story was originally published August 13, 2025 at 1:06 PM.
