Bear Gulch Fire expands to 7,360 acres

Forecast lower temperatures and rain should help tamp down the Olympic National Forest wildfire

By The Daily World • August 14, 2025 1:30 am

The Bear Gulch Fire burning in the Olympic National Forest on the north side of Lake Cushman grew by about 1,200 acres from Tuesday to Wednesday, and now covers 7,390 acres.

Firefighters hope that rain forecast across Western Washington in the coming days will help tamp down the wildfire, which is only 3% contained.

A majority of the acreage growth occurred on the north-northwest perimeter of the fire, while critical lines held near homes south of the perimeter and in the Mt. Rose area. Tuesday, with hot, dry and unstable conditions, a smoke column reached nearly 30,000 feet into the atmosphere and could be seen from the beach along Ocean Shores. The large column was due to significant fuel consumption and unstable conditions that allowed the fire to ventilate vertically.

Fire personnel on the eastern flank and southern perimeter continued to fight fire with water drops from helicopters. Crews stayed vigilant near the southern perimeter, west of Lake Cushman, engaging in structure protection and utilizing sprinkler systems.

Heavy equipment operations continued fuel reduction and road improvements for fire contingency lines on the west side of the lake. Wednesday, active fire remains with northwesterly winds reaching gusts of up to 20 mph.

A significant weather shift of cooler temperatures and moisture in the air will occur into the evening on Wednesday. Pieces of a cold front will filter in through the morning hours, leading to wind, temperature, and humidity changes.

The Bear Gulch Fire area near Dry Creek Trail is in a Level 3 “GO” evacuation. This includes the Staircase Campground and areas across the causeway on the north side of Lake Cushman. The area south of Dry Creek has a Level 2 “BE SET” evacuation notice.

An air quality alert was issued in Mason County that remains in effect until Friday, warning that air quality in areas closest to the fire could reach unhealthy or hazardous levels.

Puget Sound Clean Air Agency said there could be “brief periods,” more likely on Wednesday and Thursday nights, when air quality is unhealthy for sensitive groups in Kitsap, Pierce and King counties due to the smoke.

People nearest the Bear Gulch fire just east of Lake Cushman are expected to see “very unhealthy” smoke. Wind should push the smoke later in the day Wednesday, bringing fog and moderate smoke to the Hoodsport area in Mason County, according to the U.S. Interagency Wildland Fire Air Quality Response Program.

A large plume of smoke from fires in northern British Columbia has also pushed south over the Pacific just off the Washington coast. As the high-pressure ridge currently over the Washington interior breaks down, that smoke plume could move onshore. That could create elevated levels of particulate matter in the air in coastal communities of Pacific, Grays Harbor, Jefferson and Clallam counties.