VIDEO: Jennifer Divine has never been happier to see a rainy day. โEveryone out here, even people that donโt like the rain, they have the biggest smiles. Everybodyโs so happy,โ said Divine, who lives a couple of miles from the Bear Gulch Fire. The fire, more than 20,000 acres in size, has been burning near Lake Cushman since early July. With barely any rain in over the past few months, this week’s forecast brings some much needed relief. Rainfall Monday morning, along with showers forecast through the week, has Divine and firefighters hopeful the fire may soon be under control.
โItโs gonna help us. Itโs gonna help with the smoke. Itโs gonna help slow the progress of the fire out,โ said Brian Kitchen, incident commander. He said it will likely take a winter snowstorm to fully extinguish the flames in the largest wildfire in Olympic National Park. Investigators determined the fire was human-caused but have not released details on what started it. Kitchen said firefighting costs have topped $43 million. Evacuations remain in place for 27 homes along Lake Cushman.
Divine never had to leave her home, but the smoke grew so thick she sometimes couldnโt see her next-door neighbors. Divine, who has asthma, ran two air filters nonstop through the summer. โWe ran them 24 hours. We finally gave them a break today,โ she said, adding the rain allowed her to open all the doors and windows. โI love it. Weโre letting all the good smells come in our cabin. Itโs wonderful,” Divine said.
