Special crew being brought in for 367-acre Paradise Fire in Olympic National Park

OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK, Wash. -- The Paradise wildfire has burned about 367 acres deep within the Olympic National Park wilderness, and a special crew from California was arriving to assess the situation, the park said Wednesday.

"The fire continues to burn slowly (at) the Queets River near its confluence with Paradise Creek in an area of very tall centuries-old trees, making suppression activities difficult and very dangerous for firefighters," the park said.

"Burning limbs and snags, as well as the rugged terrain, make fire suppression challenging in this area," it added.

As a result, a 10-person "wildland fire crew" from the Klamath National Forest in Northern California was arriving Wednesday. The team is specifically trained in evaluating conditions,  risks and impacts associated with wilderness fires, along with developing options for fire management and suppression, it said.

The fire is about 12 miles up the valley from the Queets River trailhead, the park said.

The park said the Queets River Trail is closed at Bob Creek "until further notice to protect public and employee safety."

An update on the fire will be released at 10 a.m. Thursday.