Counties, feds restrict burning

The use of fire is restricted in 20 Eastern Washington counties by one federal agency, and along Lake Roosevelt by the National Park Service, even after two local counties started their annual fire restrictions earlier than normal.

Federal Bureau of Land Management officials have restricted activities on public lands to reduce the risk of human-caused wildfires in Adams, Asotin, Benton, Chelan, Columbia, Douglas, Ferry, Franklin, Garfield, Grant, Kittitas, Klickitat, Lincoln, Okanogan, Pend Oreille, Spokane, Stevens, Walla Walla, Whitman, and Yakima counties.

“With summer approaching and temperatures rising, dry and flashy fuels become increasingly susceptible to ignition,” the agency wrote in a press release. “Fire restrictions help keep the public and first responders safe.”

“Know Before You Go and be prepared before visiting your public lands this summer,” said Lonnie Newton, fire management officer for the BLM Spokane District, which also has firefighting responsibilities for nearby Bureau of Reclamation lands. “Pack a shovel and fire extinguisher and follow BLM’s fire restriction orders to help prevent fires.”

As of Friday, the NPS prohibited “all fires on park-managed lands and exposed lakebeds, including undeveloped areas” along the Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area. Campfires in park-provided fire rings and barbecue boxes, self-contained propane or gas cookstoves and lanterns are still allowed.

Campfires should be less than 3 feet in diameter and 3 feet high within the established fire ring. Fires must always be attended and completely extinguished with water before going to bed or leaving the campsite. It is also illegal to burn chemically treated wood, painted wood, wood with staples as well as household garbage, including plastic and cans.

Okanogan County restricted its burning June 6. It uses a two-step system for restricting outdoor burning. The first is a “burn restriction” that allows recreational fires but no other outdoor burning. The second is when high fire conditions are present. That’s when a county-wide burn ban is implemented, prohibiting all outdoor burning, including recreational fires and the use of charcoal.

The Burn Restriction prohibits all field/pile/rubbish/rule/slash/yard vegetation and non-emergent agricultural burning on private lands within the unincorporated areas of Okanogan County.

Recreational fires are allowed during a burn restriction if used for pleasure, religious, ceremonial, cooking, warmth, or similar purposes and the fuel being burned is other than rubbish. Fires used for debris disposal purposes are not considered recreational fires.

But even during a burn restriction, if a Red Flag Warning is issued by the National Weather Service no recreational fires will be permitted. Several Red Flag warnings have been issued for the local area over the last couple weeks.

Grant County puts a burn ban in effect annually from June 1 through Sept. 30. Burn barrels are always illegal.

And residential and land-clearing burning is not allowed in Moses Lake, Coulee City, Coulee Dam, Electric City, Ephrata, George, Grand Coulee, Hartline, Krupp, Mattawa, Quincy, Royal City, Soap Lake, Warden and Wilson Creek, the county fire marshal’s website says.