As a Puget Sound heat advisory entered its second day, Tuesday, firefighters expected the Bear Gulch wildfire near Lake Cushman to continue to grow.

The human-caused fire has burned 6,196 acres with containment only at 3%, according to Public Information Officer John Artley .

“There’s very little we can do to actually stop the progression,” he explained.

Crews can’t get into a position to head off the fire.

“Most of the fire is now burning in the wilderness area in the really steep, rugged terrain, and it’s not really safe or feasible to insert crews,” Artley said.

The fire appears to be moving away from populated areas, where firefighters have successfully prevented it from burning any structures.

But Level 3 “Get Out Now” evacuations remain in effect near the Dry Creek trail,

See Full Page