Pierce County issues burn ban after unseasonably dry weather. Here’s what to know
Pierce County announced a burn ban for unincorporated Pierce County effective 8 a.m. Wednesday until further notice. The ban comes after an long dry spell this spring.
On Friday, the National Weather Service’s Seattle office said the early heat and dry conditions have set up “nearly all of Washington State for an increased risk of above-normal fire activity from July through September.”
The burn ban applies to all land clearing and burning of yard debris in unincorporated Pierce County.
The ban doesn’t apply to small recreational fires in established fire pits at approved campgrounds or private property with the owner’s permission, according to the county’s Tuesday press release. The ban also doesn’t apply to the use of gas and propane self-contained stoves and barbecues.
According to the press release, recreational fires must:
Be built in a metal or concrete fire pit, such as those typically found in designated campgrounds and not used for debris disposal.
Grow no larger than three feet in diameter.
Be in a clear spot free from any vegetation for at least 10 feet in a horizontal direction, including at least 25 feet away from any structure and allow 20-foot vertical clearance from overhanging branches.
Be attended at all times by an alert individual and equipment capable of extinguishing the fire, such as hand tools and a garden hose attached to a water faucet that is on, or not less than two, five-gallon buckets of water.
No burning when winds exceed 5 miles per hour.
