Local businesses like the Halfway House have played a vital role in keeping nearly 250 firefighting personnel fueled to battle the 2620 Road Fire.
During the past week, the restaurant prepared nearly 4,000 meals for firefighters as they worked to contain the 445-acre fire on the south side of Mt. Jupiter. As of Tuesday afternoon, the fire was 8% contained, according to incident information at inciweb.wildfire.gov.
Although the responsibility for meal preparation has shifted to a state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) kitchen at Camp Parsons, the Halfway House staff remains committed to providing much-needed supplies.
“We worked tirelessly 24 hours a day for a week, feeding up to 400 folks,” said Roz Rotz, a waitress at Halfway House. “The staff can tell you that we are completely exhausted. We are in recovery.
“We are so proud to have been able to serve them as they have been helping our community,” Rotz said. “We all feel that way. It was easy to dig deep and keep going.”
The restaurant has been serving up to 400 meals per day, she said.
”We are feeding firefighters from all over the country,” Rotz said.
As of Aug. 20, 415 personnel were assigned to the firefighting efforts. Because of the growing size of the operation, the fire camp has been moved to Camp Parsons, a Boy Scout camp in Brinnon, where there is more space to accommodate the resources and personnel needed for the ongoing operation.
“We moved to Camp Parsons because we outgrew Brinnon Fire Station. It is a bigger facility,” said Norma Brock, public information officer with the Western Washington Incident Management Team.
“There is more room for parking, to facilitate operations and to house the 415 resource personnel,” she added.
At Camp Parsons, a DNR mobile kitchen has been set up to feed firefighters, and there are shower facilities and ample space for rest. The move has allowed for more efficient operations as crews continue their work on the fire, Brock said.
On Tuesday, crews were focusing on line construction in the upper ends of the fire. A temporary flight restriction remains in place to protect the airspace over the fire, ensuring the safety of aerial operations.
“The outpour[ing] of support from the local community has been felt by all, and we are extremely grateful,” Brock said.
The cause remains unknown, and an investigation is ongoing.
Meanwhile, infrequency fire crews have been active across Olympic National Park and Olympic National Forest, working to suppress fire starts and investigate smoke reports.
Despite last weekend’s lightning storm, which produced several smoke reports and fire starts visible from Peninsula communities, no structures are threatened, and there are no evacuations or closures, Olympic National Park said in a press release.
Fire crews are working to suppress two fires in the Olympic National Forest caused by lightning strikes.
The Townsend 1 Fire is one-tenth of an acre in size. An engine crew and a helicopter with a bucket responded Monday to mop up the fire and soak it with water.
The Lightning Peak Fire also is one-tenth of an acre in size. A helicopter equipped with a bucket is working to suppress it, fire officials said. Due to the steep and rugged terrain, aerial suppression efforts are the most effective tactic for this fire, officials said.
On Aug. 19, an evening reconnaissance flight was conducted over eastern and northern sections of the Olympic Peninsula to investigate smoke reports and locate possible fires. No new activity was detected, fire officials said.
