Photo Credit Kristi Garrigues
🔥 Bear Gulch Fire 2025 Updates
The Lake Cushman Maintenance Company has created this dedicated page to keep residents informed about the Bear Gulch Fire and its impact on the community.
Management of the Bear Gulch and Tunnel Creek fires will transfer to local fire units on October 11, 2025. Local fire experts will adapt management tactics to fire behavior and weather patterns. Future fire information updates will be published when conditions and management tactics change.
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Contact for Bear Gulch Information Team:
360-732-1813 fire information phone (8am to 8pm)
[email protected]
InciWeb: https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incide.../waolf-bear-gulch-fire
360-732-1813 fire information phone (8am to 8pm)
[email protected]
InciWeb: https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incide.../waolf-bear-gulch-fire
🔥 Bear Gulch Fire Updates🔥
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Burn scars above Staircase
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Burned trail near Staicase
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Bear Gulch - 20,185 acres, 5% containment
With the arrival of significant amounts of rain and short cool days, fire activity on the Bear Gulch has dramatically reduced and the threat of further damage to homes and values at risk is minimal. Mason County Sheriff has lifted the evacuation order for homeowners in the Copper Creek community of Lake Cushman. The closure of the north portion of Lake Cushman has also been lifted. The Olympic National Forest is set to allow residents to access their property via FS-24 on a limited basis as follows: Friday, October 3, 2005 - Monday, October 6, 2025 9:00 am – 4:00 pm (overnight stays not permitted) A security guard will be posted at the entrance to check residents in and out of the closure area for accountability and safety. Monday, October 6th will be the last day the US Forest Service will provide access on FS-24 to residents. FS-24 will be closed until further notice due to extremely dangerous conditions including rockfall and landslides. Your safety is our concern. |
What is fire containment?
Fire containment is completed when a secure perimeter has been established around the fire using natural barriers, roads or hand-dug lines and verified by firefighters on the ground. Fire Managers will not declare a fire contained until they can validate with confidence that the fire will not progress beyond the perimeter control lines. When terrain is too steep or hazardous to safely insert crews, Infrared (IR) flights are conducted over fire areas to determine the fire's edge, detect hot spots that can potentially reignite, and map the fire's perimeter. 100% containment does not mean the fire is out; it only means there is a high degree of confidence that the fire will not spread further. Uncontained fires can persist for weeks or months, burning within the perimeter or spreading if conditions change. With the wet weather received the Bear Gulch Fire activity remains minimal, smoldering in heavy wet downed timber within the perimeter. The fire may not be OUT but as we move into wetter months there is a good probability the fire will burn itself out over the winter. |
Fire activity has decreased over the past several days due to the cooler temperatures, higher humidity, and mild winds. Season-ending rainfall is expected within the next month or so. Updates and other communications will relay notable events when they occur. The Incident Inciweb and Facebook pages will continue to be updated regularly. The fire information phone line will remain active and staffed for incoming calls.
An IR (infrared flight) was completed yesterday. An IR flight can detect heat and reveal hot spots which can help map the fires perimeter. The flight revealed a small amount of growth on both the Bear Gulch and Tunnel Creek fires. Bear Gulch grew from 20,185 to 20,233 acres and the Tunnel Creek from 581 to 590 acres. Fire behavior continues to smolder and creep which attributes to this growth which took place over a week.
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The firefighters that are remaining continue to complete suppression activities such as extinguishing small hot spots they find. This is physically demanding work.
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Olympic National Forest Closures: There are many road, trail, and campground closures in the southeast portion of the Forest. Please visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/r06/olympic/alerts for the specifics of what is closed and open.
Olympic National Park Closures: There are extensive closures on the southeast corner of Olympic National Park. Please visit https://www.nps.gov/olym/planyourvisit/fire-conditions-and-updates.htm for more information
Olympic National Park Closures: There are extensive closures on the southeast corner of Olympic National Park. Please visit https://www.nps.gov/olym/planyourvisit/fire-conditions-and-updates.htm for more information
Lake Closure: The southern half of the lake is open to recreation. The north half of the lake is closed to support the Bear Gulch suppression and evacuation efforts. Divison 2 Boat Launch is close, Division 3 Boat Launch is open to first responder only.
Division 1 & 14 Boat Launches are open for member and guest use.
Division 1 & 14 Boat Launches are open for member and guest use.
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🔥 Other Informative Videos🔥
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August 21, 2025 Town Hall Meeting
Fire officials from Hoodsport Fire & EMS will host a town hall meeting regarding the Bear Gulch incident and will provide a brief fire history of the area. California Interagency Incident Management Team 7, the U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service and the Washington Department of Natural Resources will also be on hand to provide additional information on BearGulch Fire operations.
Bear Gulch Fire Incident Meteorologist, Jaclyn Ehr talks about smoke impacts to the community in the coming days.
Got smoke? Check out these handy resources for smoke in your area. Smoke Ready Toolbox: https://www.epa.gov/air.../smoke-ready-toolbox-wildfires... Fire and Smoke Map: https://fire.airnow.gov/#6.46/48.199/-120.951 How to build a DIY air filter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujUFj2G9_-Y August 5, 2025 - This video shows fire activity, suppression, and protection activities in the Staircase and Copper Creek area. Foil wrap is used to shield flammable structures from radiation and embers. Fire hose and sprinklers are in place to create a wet zone for defense. Burned areas show a range of fire effects, from very low severity in places, to areas of high severity where most vegetation and much of the organic material on the forest floor has been removed. This pattern of mixed severity is expected to be revealed throughout the burned area when the smoke clears.
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Together, Communications, Aviation and Rappelers worked together on a short-haul mission to remove a malfunctioning radio repeater that had become inaccessible by road due to the fire. A short-haul mission involves carrying a person by harness and cable and is frequently used in search and rescue extractions.
The Communications group on a fire helps ensure there is radio accessibility between all fire staff around the fire. Communications staff explained how to disconnect the batteries and power from the repeater and package it for flight. Aviation coordinated the helicopter that carried the spotter and two rappelers to the unit around 2.5 miles up the mountain. The mission was completed in under an hour. Footage captured on August 9 by Mike Merrick, a training captain with Shoreline Fire Dept. who works in Communications on the Bear Gulch Fire. The Staircase Entrance of Olympic National Park is closed for safety due to the Bear Gulch fire and suppression efforts. This video gives a sense of what Forest Service Road 24 looks like just past the causeway, driving into the Park. No structures or developed recreational sites have been lost to date. Fire personnel will continue to utilize sprinklers, pumps and handlines to protect the park's infrastructure.
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What’s that silver wrap all about?
The ‘aluminized fabric’ that is featured in the photos reflects up to 95% radiant heat. The fiberglass under the foil layer insulates the wrapped object to reduce heat transfer from nearby flames, and the wrap materials are non-combustible and can withstand high temperatures and direct flames for short amounts of time before the materials start to degrade. These factors combined help make the values that are wrapped more fire resistant but not fireproof. Some values that may be wrapped include structures, bridges, signposts, etc. In addition to the wrap, fire personnel remove excess fuels from around the protected value and install sprinkler systems to keep the areas moist.
The ‘aluminized fabric’ that is featured in the photos reflects up to 95% radiant heat. The fiberglass under the foil layer insulates the wrapped object to reduce heat transfer from nearby flames, and the wrap materials are non-combustible and can withstand high temperatures and direct flames for short amounts of time before the materials start to degrade. These factors combined help make the values that are wrapped more fire resistant but not fireproof. Some values that may be wrapped include structures, bridges, signposts, etc. In addition to the wrap, fire personnel remove excess fuels from around the protected value and install sprinkler systems to keep the areas moist.
🔥 Pictures Provided by The Incidient Reponse Team🔥
Wildland Fire Module preparing to head into Olympic National Park from the Causeway off Forest Service Road 24. Photo taken on 8/9/2025
Interagency resources staged by Lake Cushman. Fire personnel are able to use the northend of the lake to shuttle personnel and resources across for structure protection efforts. Photo taken on 8/7/25.
Owing to heightened fire activity in the Lake Cushman/Staircase region, we request that residents and visitors refrain from entering the water to ensure firefighting aircraft can operate safely.
July 18, 2025
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Wildland Fire Module members preparing to head into Olympic National Park from the Causeway off Forest Service Road 24. Photo taken on 8/9/2025.
Helicopter conducting water drops over the Bear Gulch Fire on July 31. Photo credit: Mason County Sheriff PIO Matt Colbenson
Bear Gulch Fire sprinkler system completed in Olympic National Park, Staricase area. U.S. Forest Service Photo by Sharon Steriti 07/22/2025.
Bear Gulch Fire aerial view on Sunday 7/13/2025
Follow the Bear Gulch Fire 2025 on Facebook
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Heavy equipment removing excess fuels north of Forest Service Road 24. Captured on 8/7/25.
Firefighters working in the Staircase area of Olympic National Park the evening of 7/30
Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) crew ready to launch! The unmanned aircraft system can help detect heat signatures and conduct recon on the fire to keep fire personnel on the ground safe.
Dozer heading to the 2419 road area.
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