KENDALL, Wash. — Today, January 22, 2025, the Northwest Clean Air Agency (NWCAA) issued a Stage 2 burn ban for the Columbia Valley urban growth area, including Peaceful Valley and Paradise Lakes developments.
NWCAA said, effective immediately, no indoor or outdoor wood burning is allowed in the Columbia Valley urban growth area (including the Peaceful Valley and Paradise Lakes developments) in Whatcom County.
Continued air stagnation is preventing harmful wood smoke from clearing out, according to the Northwest Clean Air Agency.
Fine particles in wood smoke are harmful because they can be inhaled deeply into lungs and damage delicate tissues.
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Click for more informationDuring this Stage 2 burn ban, all burning is prohibited unless a woodstove is your only adequate source of heat.
- No burning is allowed in any wood-burning fireplaces, woodstoves, or fireplace inserts (certified or uncertified), and pellet.
- No outdoor fires of any kind are allowed. This includes burning of yard waste, land clearing, agricultural burning, and forest burning, plus recreational fires in devices like backyard fire kettles, chimneys, and fire pits.
These burning limits will remain in effect for the next few days until an expected weather change happens.
Burn ban violators could face fines and other enforcement actions. Remember that it is always illegal to produce excess chimney smoke and impact your neighbors. It is also illegal to burn trash.
– Northwest Clean Air Agency (January 22, 2025)
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