Wildfire drill to be held in Capitol State Forest near Olympia this week

THURSTON COUNTY, Wash. — If you see helicopters, smoke, firefighters, and equipment in the Capitol State Forest near Olympia Wednesday afternoon, don’t be concerned. It’s only a drill.

To prepare for wildfire season, the Washington State Department of Natural Resources will do two exercises. The first one is on Wednesday, Mar. 27, from 1 to 5 p.m. The second drill will be on Apr. 17, from 1 to 5 p.m.

The training area will be above the C-Line, near the Greenline Trail. The area will have road guards at the C-7300 junction. View a map of the area [PDF].

DNR firefighters will use a variety of equipment and crews will coordinate the drill area and deal with roadblocks.

Depending on how much wind there is, the public may see colored smoke at times, ranging from small plumes to drifting smoke and light haze.

Four helicopters will be overhead to drop water during the drill, along with a Kodiak 100 airplane.

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