'Consumptive strategy' is allowing the Bolt Creek Fire to burn into the wilderness

Managers on the Bolt Creek Fire on Monday explained what they called the unique firefighting strategy they’re using that’s causing more smoke but is expected to have greater long-term benefits.

The fire was first reported Sept. 10 burning north of Skykomish and early on led to evacuations and extended closures of U.S. Highway 2.

As of Tuesday morning, it had burned 12,625 acres and is 36 percent contained.

Using what’s called a consumptive strategy, the incident management team is allowing the fire to burn out unburned pockets within containment lines while also allowing it to burn unchallenged into the Wild Sky Wilderness.

The team said this is safer for firefighters in tough terrain surrounded by hazardous trees and for pilots who don’t have to fly in a narrow and heavily populated valley.

“It does some really important ecologic work as even forests on the west side of the Cascades need fire to be healthy, and the fire has burned at a low to moderate intensity in areas of concerns (near homes and US 2 primarily), which will mean that we have more vegetative structure to hold the soil together when we get a big rain event this fall/winter." the incident management team said.

Best of all, they said, the burned areas will provide a buffer to reduce future wildfire risk. Meanwhile, they said suppression activities continue in areas to protect private property, homes, roadways and campgrounds etc.