KENDALL, Wash. — Today, January 16, 2026, the Northwest Clean Air Agency (NWCAA) issued a Stage 1 burn ban for the Columbia Valley urban growth area, including Peaceful Valley and Paradise Lakes developments citing, “Cold, stagnant air is preventing harmful wood smoke from clearing out.”
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.
The Northwest Clean Air Agency is calling a Stage 1 air quality burn ban effective immediately in the Columbia Valley urban growth area (including the Peaceful Valley and Paradise Lakes developments) in Whatcom County. Cold, stagnant air is preventing harmful wood smoke from clearing out.
Burning wood for home heating – especially when it isn’t done correctly – can produce smoke pollution that can harm you, your family, and your neighbors. Fine particles in smoke can be inhaled deeply into lungs and damage delicate tissues.
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Click for more informationSmoke pollution can trigger asthma attacks, cause difficulty breathing, and make lung and heart problems worse. Elevated levels of smoke can be especially harmful to children, people with heart and lung problems, and adults age 65 and older.
Air quality may improve throughout the day. But smoke levels will build as temperatures drop and more people light fires to heat homes.
If you must burn wood for heat, burn small, hot fires. Check your chimney 20 minutes after lighting a fire to ensure that it is not smoking, and if it is, take action. Do not let fires smolder overnight.
During a Stage 1 burn ban:
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Click for more informationNo visible smoke is allowed from any woodstove or fireplace, certified or not, beyond a 20-minute startup period.The Northwest Clean Air Agency is responsible for enforcing federal, state, and local air quality regulations in Island, San Juan, Skagit, and Whatcom counties.
No burning is allowed in fireplaces or uncertified woodstoves, unless this is your only adequate source of heat.
All outdoor burning is prohibited, even in areas where outdoor burning is not permanently banned.
– Northwest Clean Air Agency (January 16, 2026)
No estimate was given for how long the burn ban would remain in effect.
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