Thursday, October 1, 2026
The Bear Gulch Fire pushed smoke into Mason and Thurston counties this week after lingering high in the atmosphere for most of July, according to an interagency update on Tuesday, Aug. 5.
The Olympic Region Clean Air Agency (ORCAA) announced that air monitors logged moderate air quality in both counties for the first time since the fire started on July 6. The agency noted smoke descended into the Hood Canal and Puget Sound basins after low clouds and light winds trapped it near the surface.
The fire has now scorched about 4,936 acres on the north shore of Lake Cushman near Mount Rose in Olympic National Forest. Containment remained at 3% as of Tuesday morning.
The U.S. Forest Service and its partner agencies said in a statement the fire is human-caused and no structures have been damaged.
In the interagency update, incident managers said “steep and rugged” terrain, fractured rock and near-vertical slopes are preventing direct engagement. Responders are reinforcing indirect lines, installing sprinkler systems and utilizing aircraft for bucket drops when weather allows.
Cloud cover, cooler temperatures and rising humidity slowed fire growth, according to the incident report.
Firefighters are now focusing on structure defense in the Copper Creek drainage during day and night operations, protecting cabins, administrative buildings, bridges and Staircase Campground.
Humidity and cooler conditions are also moderating fire behavior, keeping surface fire spread slow. Forecasts call for cloudy skies and a chance of rain through Thursday, Aug. 7, with temperatures in the 60s and humidity around 60%.
The U.S. Forest Service is investigating the incident and is asking for tips through its hotline at 541-618-2154 or by email at SM.FS.R6TipHotLine@usda.gov with the subject “Bear Gulch.”
Courtesy of Bear Gulch Fire 2025
6 comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here
chrispc2u
I appreciate knowing where the smoke is coming from. Thanks!
Wednesday, August 6, 2025 Report this
CobraCommander
Best plan is to fire the Olympic Region Clean Air Agency official who declared it unsafe, then the problem will go away!
Wednesday, August 6, 2025 Report this
Snevets
Look forward to the location of the idiot who started this.
Thursday, August 7, 2025 Report this
JW
Let's see if our local (D) governments can find a way to tax us to clean up the dirty air.
Thursday, August 7, 2025 Report this
JohnFronono
You were the “I know you are but what am I” kid in school weren’t you?
Tuesday, September 2, 2025 Report this
Train4hard
@ CobraCommander The official that you are talking about is a machine that detects pollutants in order to inform the local communities, I'm not sure how that is a bad thing unless you are a lung cancer supporter. I know that you want to burn more trash and baby diapers in your area but the sake of your community, stop being a jerk.
@ JW i'm sure you can see that the (R) communities now support child trafficking so putting them in charge of anything might be a bad idea at this point.
Wednesday, December 10, 2025 Report this