East Beach Road Fire

The number of firefighters battling the East Beach Road Fire near Lake Crescent has dwindled to 39 personnel and one fire engine as the forest fire has largely been brought under control.

Officials said Friday the fire has been 83 percent contained.

Mother Nature has helped, but not much.

Rainfall in the area recently has totaled 0.2 inches of precipitation to the fire zone area, and the fire continues to smolder on the steep, southern-facing slope at the north end of the lake.

Officials with the Western Washington Type 3 Incident Management Team said the fire in Olympic National Park still has the potential to smolder and creep in heavy accumulations of downed logs, underground root systems, and forest debris.

The area may stay smokey for weeks to come, officials said. Occasional smoke at Lake Crescent and the surrounding area will most likely continue until heavy rainfall in autumn months.

East Beach Road remains closed to visitor traffic at the Highway 101 intersection. Log Cabin Resort is still operating and can be accessed via Highway 112 to Joyce-Piedmont Road. Local residents can access property up to 2 miles west of Highway 101 or from Log Cabin Resort.

All day-use recreation sites along East Beach Road in Olympic National Park remain closed.