Inferno in the Cascades
Logging camps near Enumclaw are fighting to survive as wildfires threaten the regional timber industry.
Forest fires raging in the hills east of Enumclaw for three days have caused massive anxiety for mills and logging companies. The White River Mill company's upper camp has been closed since Monday. Early Tuesday, a general alarm was given, and crews fought to save equipment. At one point, wind shifts forced workers to scramble to move donkey engines to safety, then back again. While the fire's intensity has lulled, a heavy pall of smoke remains. The fire originated southeast, near the Naches Pass road, and is moving rapidly through the ravines. There are unconfirmed reports that the Jackson logging camp and a new shingle mill have been destroyed. Miller's logging camp is confirmed to be partly lost. Without heavy rain, the loss of standing timber will be in the thousands of dollars.
“The roaring of the flames could be plainly heard at this place, some miles distant from the scene of the conflagration.”
The vulnerability of timber-dependent towns to fire is a perennial issue in the Pacific Northwest, mirroring today’s climate-driven wildfire concerns.
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