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The Grant County Board of Commissioners today imposed a temporary ban on outdoor burning effective Wednesday June 24, 2015 at 12:00 p.m. The ban prohibits all outdoor burning until further notice and will be lifted once conditions improve. If citizens are caught burning, they could face fines and other consequences.

With the hot, dry, arid conditions, and a heavy load of dry grass and sage brush throughout the county, officials are additionally anticipating new wildfires to ignite. The risks include nighttime fires which may be ignited by summertime lightning storms.

• No burning of yard wastes, (tree, shrub and grass clippings), garbage, ditch banks, building materials and etc. NO BURN BARRELS

• Agricultural burning allowed when properly permitted by Ecology.

• Recreational Fires in approved devices at public campgrounds when allowed by the campground authority. Recreational fires in private pits or residences when surrounded by 25 feet of non-combustible material and a charged water line and attended at all times.

• Fires for cooking purposes must be permitted prior to the event.

• Open flames associated with gas barbecues or charcoal start-up are allowed in a safe and sane manner. These devices to be used in an area away from combustible materials including vegetation and must be attended at all times.

• As conditions worsen we may request additional measures to prevent fires this summer.

The county burn ban does not change the burn ban already imposed on all cities in Grant County. Since 2007, burning bans have been imposed by the Washington Department of Ecology for all cities and within Urban Growth Areas. When the countywide burn ban is lifted, the Ecology burn bans for all cities will still be in place.

The county ban does not affect fires at campgrounds in fire pits or agricultural burning such as the burning of field crop residue and orchard tear-out residue, provided the burning is permitted and conducted in accordance with the Washington Department of Ecology. For more information on agro burning, contact the Department of Ecology at 509-329-3400.