More evacuations as growing wildfire burns near Crystal Mountain

PIERCE COUNTY, Wash. -- Substantial fire growth spurred evacuation notices Monday evening for those closest to the Norse Peak fire, burning north of State Route 410.

As the fire neared 20,000 acres in size, officials issued Level 3 (leave now) evacuation notices for Gold Hill and Crystal Mountain Ski Resort.

Later a Level 2 evacuation notice was added for the Silver Springs campground along SR 410.



The resort tweeted another update just after 10 p.m.



Crystal Mountain Resort had already closed Labor Day because of smoke and poor air quality from the fires.

All hiking trails on the mountain are closed and traffic is being diverted at the base of the boulevard.

Washington State Department of Transportation said Monday, that sections of State Route 410 east of Chinook Pass will remain closed at least through Wednesday (9/60).





The fire has been burning to the east of the resort for over two weeks. As of Sunday night, it had burned 27.5 square miles and was only 8 percent contained.

Crystal Mountain resort says they will continue to monitor the situation.

There is a public meeting scheduled Tuesday evening at the Nile Valley Community Church in Naches. Fire officials and local cooperators will provide an overview of fire activity and answer questions. That meeting starts at 6:30 p.m.