County Issues Burn Ban

Spokane County imposed an emergency burn ban Wednesday that officials hope will reduce the risk of wildfire.

All open burning, including campfires, is illegal for the next 90 days in unincorporated areas of the county.

This summer’s hot, dry weather made the ban necessary, said Jim Manson, director of code enforcement for Spokane County. It’s the first time in 20 years the county has imposed a ban on open burning, said Manson, who signed the emergency order.

“We don’t want another firestorm,” he said.

Fire officials want to minimize that risk. “This is kind of a first step to prevent it from happening,” Manson said.

None of the recent fires in Spokane County has been blamed on campfires or other open fires. Newman Lake Fire District 13 asked for the ban after noticing lake homeowners were having bonfires on the beach.

“It’s part of the recreational experience to have a campfire. Most people are fairly safe with fires. Some aren’t,” Fire District 13 Chief Bob Kolva said.

Campfires can throw sparks into dry grass and timber and start a wildfire, Kolva said.

His concerns were shared by other fire districts around the county.

“We’ve contacted all the fire districts to make sure none of them had problems with the ban,” Manson said.

Spokane Valley Fire Marshal Paul Chase said his district welcomes the ban.

“It’s more or less a reminder to people that this is a big problem right now,” he said.

On Tuesday, Gov. Gary Locke declared a state of emergency in Washington because of the wildfire threat and scarcity of firefighters.

The Department of Natural Resources imposed a burn ban for Eastern Washington in late July that affected all public and private lands protected by DNR.

But many rural homeowners weren’t sure whether the DNR ban applied to them, Kolva said.

“There’s a lot of confusion out there,” he said.

The county ban makes all outdoor fires not contained in a fireplace or barbecue pit illegal.

An exception was made for field burning, provided appropriate approval has been granted.

Anyone caught violating the ban will be ordered to put out the fire immediately. Failure to comply could result in a fine of up to $1,000 or 90 days in jail.