From the westside
SEATTLE — King County has issued a short-lived Stage 2 burn ban following a week of cold, stagnant air.
The burn ban, which includes indoor wood-burning stoves, was scheduled to be lifted at 6 a.m. Thursday with the onset of a new weather pattern. Pierce County and tribal burn bans would also be lifted then, too.
A Snohomish County burn ban was lifted Wednesday.
During a Stage 2 burn ban:
- No burning is allowed in any wood-burning fireplaces, certified or uncertified wood stoves or fireplace inserts. Residents should rely instead on their home’s other, cleaner source of heat (such as their furnace or electric baseboard heaters) for a few days until air quality improves, the public health risk diminishes and the ban is cancelled.
- The only exception is if the homeowner has a previously approved ‘No Other Adequate Source of Heat’ designation from the Clean Air Agency
- No outdoor fires are allowed. This includes recreational fires such as bonfires, campfires and the use of fire pits and chimineas.
- Burn ban violations are subject to a $1,000 penalty.
The purpose of a burn ban is to reduce the amount of pollution that is creating unhealthy air usually due to excessive wood smoke. The Clean Air Agency will continue to closely monitor the situation.
