Lightning Triggers at Least 40 Fires Near Mt Rainier, Forests

According to the US Forest Service, a series of lightning strikes in and around the Cascade Mountains have triggered dozens of fires, but most of them small in size.

The USFS says Friday a series of lightning storms are believed to have triggered the fires, as many as 45 near Mt. Rainier, and in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest.

The Gifford Forest is about 1.32 million acres of forestland, that extends for 72 miles along the western slope of the Cascade Mountains, from Mt. Rainier National Park all the way down to the Columbia River.

Most of them are very small, says the USFS, but two are of growing concern. They are the South Fork and Grassy Mountain Fires burning in the Cowlitz Valley Ranger District, and the Snagtooth Mountain Fire near Mt. St. Helens. The combined acreage of these fires is over 220 acres, with the Snagtooth Fire estimated to have burned at least 200.

The USFS is recommending campers to consider alternative plans if they are going to do any recreating in or near Mt. Rainier, at least until the fires are out or brought under control.