A controlled burn in the early hours of Tuesday morning in Capitol State Forest has spread.
What started out as a fire in a slash pile, which is a collection of stumps and other woody debris typically set aside to burn, became unstable after winds picked up and carried the flames up the hillside of Rock Candy Mountain. As of 3 p.m. Tuesday, it was mapped at 5 acres and had been named B8000.
The fire was originally reported at 2:45 a.m. before it spread and caused numerous spot fires, according to the McLane Black Lake Fire Department. As of 3 p.m. Tuesday, fire crews from the state Department of Natural Resources were still working the fire by ground and helicopter, and a smoke column could be seen on the west side of Thurston County.
In an interview with The Olympian, DNR spokesperson Thomas Kyle-Milward said the fire is on a steep incline, burning timber and smoldering. The forest is managed by the DNR and is one of its top sources for timber.
McLane Black Lake assistant chief Chris Patti said the department was supporting the DNR by supplying water.
