Holiday weekend barbecue organizers should prepare gas or propane grills for Fourth of July picnics since burn bans have eliminated almost all open fire cooking throughout the North Olympic Peninsula.
Records kept since the 1895 show that May and June this year were the driest ever recorded on the Peninsula, and creeks and rivers have reached record lows.
The Olympic Peninsula, Puget Sound and the Western Cascades are under a high fire danger alert.
Comprehensive burn bans have been established in Clallam and Jefferson counties, in all North Olympic Peninsula cities, and on land managed by the state Department of Natural Resources, Olympic National Forest and the Olympic National Park.
The cities of Forks, Port Angeles, Sequim and Port Townsend have banned fires within city limits, including the burning of trash, yard debris, and all recreational fires — including barbecues using charcoal briquettes, pellet-fed smokers or in backyard fire rings.
“Its not that briquette barbecues are any more dangerous than propane grills,” said Port Angeles Fire Chief Ken Dubuc.
“It is that when people dispose of the briquettes they think they are out, but they can stay hot for hours or even days and start fires days later.”
Only gas or propane grills and stoves are allowed for outdoor cooking, Dubuc said.
The bans are also against decorative uses such as fire torches or commemorative or celebratory paper lanterns
“It’s very restrictive, but conditions are incredibly dangerous right now,” Dubuc said.
Sequim put its burn ban in place Thursday morning — the last of the North Olympic Peninsula’s four incorporated cities to put a burn ban in place.
Fireworks are illegal on state and federal lands.
Lands managed by DNR have established the same restrictions as the counties and cities.
“No fires are allowed whatsoever,” said Justin Zarzeczny, recreation manager of the DNR Straits District.
The National Park and National Forest and county parks allow campfires — including wood, charcoal and briquette fires — only in designated fire rings and grates in developed campgrounds.
The National Forest has implemented fire restrictions in four campgrounds “due to the extreme fire potential” in those areas.
Those campgrounds are the Littleton Horse Campground west of Lake Crescent, Lena Lake Campground south of Brinnon, Elkhorn Campground near the Dosewallips River west of Quilcene, and the Campbell Tree Grove Campground east of Quinault.
There is a ban on open fires in the park’s wilderness backcountry, including all locations along the coast.
Camp stoves still may be used in the park’s wilderness backcountry, but should be kept well away from flammable materials.
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Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5070, or at arice@peninsuladailynews.com.
Sequim-Dungeness Valley Editor Chris McDaniel can be reached at 360-681-2390, ext. 5052, or at cmcdaniel@peninsuladailynews.com.