The Gold Rush Fire burning east of Dougan Falls is 20 percent contained, according to state fire officials, although it’s likely firefighters will have a better handle on the fire by Thursday morning.
Crews have used heavy equipment and hand crews to hold the fire at 60 acres, said Mary McDonald, a spokeswoman for the Department of Natural Resources.
Fire managers were waiting through the heat of the day Wednesday to better assess how well their lines will hold, she said.
“You’re likely going to have a large (containment) percentage increase if you were to ask me tomorrow at 9 o’clock,” she said.
The fire is about 3 1/2 miles past Dougan Falls on Forest Road 2000, in a remote area about 12 miles northeast of Washougal. It is not threatening any structures.
Forest Road 2000 is still closed up the road from Dougan Falls, at Three Corner Rock Trailhead.
The fire was reported midday Monday, and crews reported seeing flames 30 feet tall. It grew from 45 acres Monday to 60 acres Tuesday, but things looked better on Wednesday, McDonald said.
Two sides of the fire are on a steep hill, which has more than a 50 percent grade, making it too steep for machinery, she said, so a crew of about 55 are digging a control line by hand.
About 90 firefighters have been working to suppress the blaze along with a helicopter dropping water on the flames. Four hand crews on the fire are from Larch Corrections Center, she said.
Despite the work on the blaze, McDonald said that a heavy haze from the smoke had blanketed the area.
“Even though we have a line on the perimeter, there’s still a lot of unburned fuel within that area,” she said.
Investigators believe the fire was human-caused, and McDonald encouraged anyone who was in the area Saturday or Sunday night and may have useful information about what happened to call her at 360-791-2019.
