Bear Gulch Fire
| Bear Gulch Fire | |
|---|---|
| Part of the 2025 Washington wildfires | |
Smoke from the Bear Gulch Fire on the Olympic Peninsula, visible on August 12 over Seattle and obscuring the Olympic Mountains | |
| Date(s) | July 6, 2025 – November 12, 2025 |
| Location | Olympic National Forest, Mason County, Washington |
| Coordinates | 47°29′45″N 123°18′08″W / 47.49583°N 123.30222°W[1] |
| Statistics | |
| Perimeter | 100% contained |
| Burned area | 20,233 acres (8,188 ha; 81.88 km2) |
| Impacts | |
| Deaths | 0 |
| Non-fatal injuries | 0 |
| Structures destroyed | 0 |
| Damage | $42.6 million[2] |
| Ignition | |
| Cause | Human |
The Bear Gulch Fire was a wildfire that began on July 6, 2025, on the north side of Lake Cushman near Mount Rose in the Olympic National Forest.[3] It was the largest fire on the Olympic Peninsula since the Great Forks Fire in 1951.[4] As of November 12, 2025, it had burned 20,233 acres (8,188 ha) and is 100% contained.[1]
The fire was caused by human activity.[5][1]
Events
"Go now" evacuations from Copper Creek/Staircase Campground area due to Bear Gulch Fire were ordered on July 30.[6] Staircase Campground was ordered evacuated on July 31.[7] Haze from the fire reached Seattle and other Puget Sound communities the same week.[8] The fire caused unhealthy air conditions in Bellevue on August 4.[9] On August 12, the fire caused pyrocumulus clouds to form,[10] and darkened the skies around the central Puget Sound area, including Seattle.[11] The pyrocumulus cloud above the fire was visible from Whatcom County near Canada to Ocean Shores on the state's central Pacific coast.[4][12]
Fire managers reported "wetting rains" beginning September 29 and expected to continue, that would mitigate risk of fire spread.[13] Meteorologist Cliff Mass said the wet weather would "close out the fire season" around the beginning of October;[14] the season was declared over on October 27 by the Washington Department of Natural Resources.[15]
The fire was reported 100% contained on November 12.[1]
Crew arrests
United States Department of Homeland Security officers arrested two firefighters during a U.S. Customs and Border Protection operation on August 27 as fire crews were setting up on Lake Cushman.[16][17][18] One of the firefighters had applied for a U visa in the past, or a family member had done so on his behalf.[19] He was released following a habeas corpus demand around September 24.[20]
Map
See also
References
- ^ a b c d "Bear Gulch Fire". Inciweb fire information system. U.S. Government interagency National Wildfire Coordinating Group. Retrieved 2025-10-03.
- ^ "Bear Gulch - Wildfire and Smoke Map". data.independentmail.com. Retrieved August 25, 2025.
- ^ "Bear Gulch Fire grows past 8,700 acres as crews brace for more hot weather". Seattle: KIRO-TV. August 25, 2025.
- ^ a b Isabella Breda (August 24, 2025). "Inside the fight to slow down WA's roller coaster Bear Gulch fire". The Seattle Times.
- ^ Johnson, Shea (August 23, 2025). "Crews are battling the Bear Gulch Fire in a heat wave. What it could mean". The Olympian. Retrieved August 24, 2025.
- ^ "Level 3 evacuations remain in place for Bear Gulch Fire in Mason County, WA". KCPQ. 2025-07-30. Retrieved 2025-07-30.
- ^ "Bear Gulch Fire grows to nearly 2,000 acres". Seattle: KIRO-TV. July 31, 2025.
- ^ https://mynorthwest.com/local/bear-gulch-fire-puget-sound/4115142
- ^ Mellits, Mara (August 4, 2025). "'Unhealthy' wildfire smoke billows into Seattle, Bellevue". The Seattle Times.
- ^ Morgan Palmer (August 12, 2025). "Bear Gulch wildfire smoke creates its own cloud formation". Seattle: KIRO-TV.
- ^ "Smoke from Bear Gulch Fire creates hazy sunset across Puget Sound". Seattle: KING-TV. August 13, 2025 – via MSN.
- ^ Ryan, John (August 14, 2025). "Smoke, sprinklers, aluminum foil: Fighting fire on the Olympic Peninsula". Seattle: KUOW.
- ^ "Bear Gulch Fire daily update". Inciweb. October 1, 2025.
- ^ Cliff Mass (September 27, 2025). "A Below-Normal Wildfire Year". Cliff Mass weather blog. Retrieved 2025-10-01.
- ^ Nance Beston (October 28, 2025). "Fire season officially ends in Washington". Columbia Basin Herald. Moses Lake, Washington – via Yahoo! News.
- ^ Breda, Isabella; Swanson, Conrad (August 8, 2025). "Federal agents arrest 2 on crew battling the state's largest blaze". The Seattle Times. p. A1.
- ^ Smith, Helen (August 28, 2025). "2 firefighters working on Bear Gulch Fire arrested by Homeland Security". KING-TV.
- ^ Ives, Mike (August 28, 2025). "Immigration Officials Conduct Operation at Wildfire Site in Washington State". The New York Times.
- ^ Joni Auden Land (September 19, 2025). "Attorneys press for release of Oregon firefighter detained by federal immigration officials".
- ^ Troy Brynelson (September 24, 2025). "ICE releases Oregon firefighter arrested last month during Bear Gulch Fire". Oregon Public Broadcasting.