INDEX — With continued calm weather, more of U.S. 2 reopening and the closing of a shelter for evacuees, all signs pointed to improving conditions for the Bolt Creek fire Wednesday.
The fire’s size was unchanged from Tuesday, at 9,440 acres with 5% containment, according to authorities. An official cause of the fire had yet to be determined.
When the fire ignited early Saturday near Skykomish, dry fuel and heavy winds drove the fire west. But weather conditions this week have reversed, keeping the fire in check and stopping it from extending further west, said Scott MacDonald, a fire behavior analyst for the Northwest Incident Management Team working the blaze.
“Fire behavior has dropped off significantly,” MacDonald said Wednesday. “The fire at this point, for the next two to three days, does not want to move this direction.”
A truck gets access to U.S. 2 through a road block at mile marker 35 at the highway’s intersection with Index-Galena Road on Wednesday, in Index,. The road block was moved up from mile marker 31.7, which now gives people easier access to the town of Index. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Crews continued to work Tuesday on the east and west sides to control the fire. And they set up protections around buildings in Baring and Grotto, along U.S. 2 in King County. One out-building had so far been damaged in the fire.
On Tuesday, there was some burning on top of the tunnel near the Money Creek Campground, which has been a focal point for crews as they ensure the fire doesn’t spread across U.S. 2.
Meanwhile, a few more miles of U.S. 2 opened up to travelers, making access easier to the town of Index. The highway remained closed from Index-Galena Road, around mile post 35, to the east end of Skykomish at mile post 49. The closure at Zeke’s Drive-In, east of Gold Bar, was removed.
The highway will likely remain closed for at least the next couple days, said Rachel Lipsky, a spokesperson for the Northwest Incident Management Team. Crews must ensure fire debris are cleared, power lines in the area are secure and the risk of falling trees above the highway is reduced. Index schools will also remain closed Thursday.
A handmade cardboard sign thanks firefighters for their work along U.S. Highway 2 on Wednesday, near Gold Bar. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
And for a few days, a Red Cross-operated shelter at the Evergreen State Fairgrounds had housed a smattering of evacuees from the east. For example, earlier this week, 11 people stayed there overnight.
But with evacuations easing Tuesday, the shelter closed at noon Wednesday. Any further changes to the evacuation zones will come no sooner than 4 p.m. Thursday, Lipsky said.
“Should the need for assistance rise again, we’ll be ready!” the Red Cross Northwest Region wrote on Twitter.
Jake Goldstein-Street: 425-339-3439; jake.goldstein-street@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @GoldsteinStreet.
Ellen Dennis: 425-339-3486; ellen.dennis@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @reporterellen.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
Gallery
