PORT ANGELES – Lightning storms that drifted over the area Sunday night, touched off several wildfires.
Olympic National Park and Forest officials are monitoring ten small fires touched off by lightning strikes, coupled with the dry conditions. The fires range in size from a tenth of an acre to one and a half acres. Several fires are in the interior of the park and the northwest portions of the park and forest. One fire is in the southeast portion of the national forest on Mount Lena.
The agencies currently have a helicopter-repelling crew, three helicopters and other ground resources working or standing by to battle the fires.
A fire-detection reconnaissance flight was conducted late yesterday afternoon and it is expected that additional fires may be found in the next few days.
Meantime, the East Beach Road Fire at Lake Crescent that started July 29 burned 84 acres and is 98% contained. The hot weather may have allowed some of the interior heat to burn itself out or clean up the unburned islands. Public safety remains a concern. Debris continues to come down off the steep slope onto the road, so East Beach Road remains closed.