Washington Department of Ecology enacts Stage 1 burn ban for seven counties

The Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) issued a Stage 1 burn ban for Kittias, Chelan, Douglas, Okanogan, Ferry, Stevens and Pend Oreille counties from November 27 to December 1, pending weather conditions.

The ban precludes all outdoor burning in the counties. Residential, agricultural and forest burning are included in the ban, as is the use of uncertified wood-burning devices like stoves, fireplaces and inserts, unless the residence in question has no other adequate heat source. The ban does not apply to certified wood-burning devices like wood stoves and pellet stoves.

Ecology is enforcing the Stage 1 ban due to weather conditions. The forcasted cool, stagnant air is a perfect recipe for increased air pollution, which could potentially reach unhealthy levels within the counties under the ban. The ban does not apply to tribal reservations, which are under the authority of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), though the agency has issued its own equivalent bans for those areas.