By order of the Whatcom County Fire Marshall, the following additional restrictions are in place:
Dry conditions and increased fire danger will call for further burn restrictions.
Whatcom County – 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. This ban is in conjunction with a statewide burn ban by the Department of Natural Resources for all state protected lands, as well as an increase in fire danger to a “High” rating for Whatcom County.
All outdoor burning is prohibited during this ban, including yard debris fires, land clearing fires, and recreational fires.
Commercially available barbecues will still be allowed, but care should be used in the disposal of any charcoal and ashes. Fire pits or similar enclosures with grates are NOT considered barbecues. Charcoal and ash should be discarded in a metal container and dowsed with water. The container should be kept 10 feet from any structures or trees for 72 hours.
If you live within a tribal or city boundary, contact the fire agency in your jurisdiction for specific 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.
If you have any questions on open burning in Whatcom County, please contact the Whatcom County Fire Marshal’s Office at 360-778-5900 or listen to current burn ban information on the Whatcom County Burn Information Line at 360-778-5903.
Date: August 17, 2016
For Immediate Release
Contact: Mitch Nolze, Fire Inspector
For Sudden Valley the following additional restrictions are in place for this burn ban.
ALL OUTDOOR BURNING IS PROHIBITED during this ban, for Sudden Valley Community Association this restriction is defined as follows:
- Recreational or Camp Fires; regardless of size or location are prohibited
- Recreational Beach Fires; prohibited
- Use of the fire rings or BBQ grills as Sudden Valley Parks or common areas
These measures will apply to all Sudden Valley parks, the marina, trails and residents within the confines of the association.