By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
The forest fire burning south of Packwood has grown from 10 to 73 acres, according to officials from the Gifford Pinchot National Forest.
It’s burning on a ridge called South Point in rough terrain with limited access about 10 miles south of U.S. Highway 12, according to spokesperson Ken Sandusky.
Employees of the Cowlitz Valley Ranger District and others continue their efforts to contain the blaze, according to Sandusky. A helicopter is dropping 3,000-gallon loads of water on it, he indicated in a news release this morning.
The fire is backing to the north down South Point, moving away from a radio repeater at the top.
Sandusky said there are no worries as of now about threats to the community as there is a lot of terrain and numerous creeks between the fire and Packwood.
Authorities suspect it ignited from lightening storms earlier this month at the same time as a large fire burning in the Mount Adams area.
That blaze, dubbed the Cascade Creek Fire, is eight miles north of Trout Lake and has covered more than 10,000 acres, or about 16 square miles.
A temporary prohibition of campfires went into effect today in various places in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest because of continuing fire-prone conditions
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For background, read “Timber burning in Gifford Pinchot south of Packwood” from Thursday September 20, 2012 at 12:43 p.m., here [1]