SANDY POINT, Wash. — Whatcom County Fire District 17 (WCFD17), Lummi Island Fire District (WCFD11) and the Whatcom County Fire Marshal’s Office announced this week that all outdoor burning, including recreational campfires and beach fires, will be temporarily banned.
The Lummi Island and Sandy Point bans will be effective 8am, Monday, July 21, 2025. The ban in unincorporated Whatcom County will be effective Saturday, July 19, 2025.
In a July 17, 2025, press release, WCFD11 Fire Chief Michael List said, “Fire danger on Lummi Island is extreme.” In a July 18, 2025, press release, the Fire Marshal’s Office said, “This ban is in conjunction with statewide outdoor burning restrictions enacted by DNR for all state-protected lands and the US Forest Service burn ban.”
WCFD17, which serves Sandy Point Shores, Sandy Point Heights, Neptune Heights, Neptune Beach and western portions of the Lummi Indian Reservation, maintains a permanent Stage 1 burn ban prohibiting all outdoor burning except for recreational campfires and beach fires. This Stage 2 burn ban supersedes that while in effect.
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All outdoor burning is prohibited during this [Stage 2] ban, including yard debris fires, land clearing fires, and recreational fires.
Propane fire pits without solid wood burning material will still be allowed, along with propane and charcoal BBQs. Care should be used in the disposal of any used charcoal and ashes. Charcoal and ash should be discarded into a metal container and dowsed with water. The container should be kept 10 feet from any structures or vegetation for 72 hours. Wood burning fire pits or charcoal pits or similar enclosures with grates or screens are NOT considered barbecues and not allowed. The use of liquid gas fired stoves or BBQ’s or charcoal BBQ’s at private residents shall be over a non-flammable surface and at least five feet from flammable vegetation and structures.
If you live within a tribal or city boundary, contact the fire agency in your jurisdiction for specific restrictions in those areas. Also, contact any campgrounds you plan on visiting, as well as DNR, and the US Forest Service to learn about restrictions in those areas.
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.
These outdoor burning restrictions may be reduced as weather and fire danger dictates.
– Whatcom County Fire Marshal’s Office (July 18, 2025)
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