PORT ANGELES — A fire covering an estimated 40 acres was discovered burning in slash west of Port Angeles on Tuesday afternoon.

State Department of Natural Resources firefighters were working on the fire when Clallam 2 Fire-Rescue units were dispatched to a smoke investigation at 11:46 a.m. Tuesday, said District 2 Chief Jake Patterson in a press release.

Video courtesy of Tyler Gaumond

The fire is up the Joyce Access Road about 2 miles from U.S. Highway 101, Patterson said. The road was closed because of the blaze on Tuesday. Patterson said that fire units would be at the scene likely a few days to extinguish hot spots.

The cause of the blaze was unknown, Patterson said. There were no injuries reported.

Dispatchers had received several reports of a column of smoke in the area north of the highway on the hillside, Patterson said. While units were traveling from Dry Creek and Gales Addition, they could see a large column of smoke from that area, he added.

Upon arrival, firefighters saw that the fire was spreading towards standing timber and crews began placing fire lines along several edges of the fire to contain the spread.

The spread slowed as it neared timber and DNR was using two helicopters to drop water on the blaze, Patterson said. DNR also had several engines, a hand crew and command staff.

Clallam 2 Fire-Rescue responded with two structural engines, one wildland engine, one water tender, and two command units. A total of 12 Fire District 2 firefighters responded.

Smoke rises from a wildland fire on Department of Natural Resources land north of Lake Sutherland on Tuesday. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)