The state Department of Natural Resources today imposed a ban on outdoor burning to its 371,000 acres of lands on the Olympic Peninsula.
It follows a Clallam County burn ban imposed last week.
An excerpt from today’s DNR statement:
With heat and drought rapidly increasing fire danger in Western Washington, the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is today expanding last week’s burn ban from DNR-protected lands in Eastern Washington to include those west of the Cascades. The statewide burn ban will run from June 22 through Sept. 30, 2015.
“Westside forests are drying out and the outlook is for continued warm, dry weather,” said Commissioner of Public Lands Peter Goldmark. “These conditions make it clear it’s time for a statewide burn ban.”
The statewide burn ban applies to state forests, state parks and forestlands under DNR fire protection. It does not include federally owned lands such as national forests, national parks, national wildlife refuges or other areas administered by federal agencies. . . .
The statewide burn ban applies to all outdoor burning on DNR-protected forestlands with the exception of recreational fires in approved fire pits within designated state, county, municipal and other campgrounds. Charcoal briquettes may be used only in approved campground fire pits.
Fireworks and incendiary devices, such as exploding targets, sky lanterns, or tracer ammunition, are illegal on all DNR-protected forestlands.
Earlier report:
Clallam County has imposed a ban on all outdoor burning continuing at least through Oct. 1.
The county Department of Community Development announced the ban Friday, citing unusually dry weather conditions.
Clallam and Jefferson counties generally follow burn bans of the state Department of Natural Resources, which restricts land-clearing or debris burning annually between July 1 and Sept. 30.
Burn bans can extend beyond Sept. 30 in especially dry years.
DNR lists Clallam and Jefferson County fire danger as moderate as of last week.
The county ban applies to all outdoor burning except recreational cooking fires.
Recreational fires are permitted unless further banned by extreme conditions, a department spokesperson said.
Recreational fires are limited to 3 feet in diameter and 2 feet in height.
So-called trash fires for debris disposal are illegal under any circumstances.
