Campfires banned at Mount Rainier National Park as 1,200 acres burn near Packwood
Sep. 10—The National Park Service has banned all campfires and the ignition of other materials, including barbecue grills, at Mount Rainier National Park in an effort to reduce the risk of wildfires as the 1,200-acre Goat Rocks Fire burns outside the park.
The parkwide fire ban, in effect since Friday, comes after the Goat Rocks Fire southeast of the national park picked up steam on Friday due to strong winds, according to the National Wildfire Coordinating Group.
The blaze, roughly five to seven miles east of the town of Packwood, was started by lightning on Aug. 9 and had initially been knocked down by fire crews, although they could not completely contain it because of steep and dangerous terrain in the Goat Rocks wilderness area, the NWCG said.
Thus far, the wildfire has prompted evacuation orders for Packwood and surrounding communities and shut down travel in the area. State Route 123 is closed from U.S. 12 to U.S. 410 for all southbound travel, and U.S. 12 is also closed from Skate Creek Road to White Pass summit, the U.S. Forest Service said.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/campfires-banned-at-mount-rainier-national-park-as-1-200-acres-burn-near-packwood/ar-AA11Grls
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