Recreational campfires now part of County burn ban

Several agencies enacted new and updated burn bans recently and there is now a National Weather Service Red Flag Warning.

Whatcom County Fire Marshal’s office announced late yesterday,

Due to increasingly dry weather conditions, and the issuance of both a Fire Weather Watch and Red Flag Warning for Whatcom County for Thursday and Friday, Fire Marshal/Planning Director Sam Ryan has ordered restrictions on all open burning. Effective 12:00 PM, Thursday, August 18th, all open burning is prohibited in unincorporated Whatcom County until further notice.

The Department of Natural Resources also issued a statewide burn ban on all DNR land (a DNR burn ban had previously been issued for only the east side of Washington).

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Whatcom County Fire District 17 (Sandy Point) and District 11 (Lummi Island) both recently issued total burn bans for their districts.

The National Weather Service issued a Red Flag Warning from 6am to midnight today in response to forecast high temperatures, low humidity and winds. These conditions, combined with the already dry fuel supply, increase the danger of outside fires spreading quickly.

According to the County Fire Marshal, all outdoor burning is prohibited during the County burn ban. This includes yard debris fires, land clearing fires and recreational fires. Use of commercially available barbecues is still allowed, noting care should be used in the disposal of charcoal and ashes. Fire pits or similar enclosures with grates are NOT considered barbecues and are therefore prohibited.

Violations of these burn restrictions can result in a minimum $250.00 fine. In addition, if you have an illegal fire that escapes or needs to be extinguished by the fire department, you may be held financially and criminally responsible.