A Phase 1 Burn Ban will be enforced 8 a.m. Saturday for all unincorporated parts of the county, according to the Whatcom County Fire Marshal’s office.
“All land clearing and yard debris burning must be discontinued at that time and all issued burn permits are suspended,” the Fire Marshal’s Wednesday press release read.
The ban will make it illegal for those living in unincorporated parts of the county to burn openly, but recreational fires will still be allowed with the landowner’s permission.
For the majority of people living in Whatcom County, however, most recreational fires are already illegal. Bellingham, Lynden, Ferndale, Blaine, Birch Bay, Everson, Nooksack and Sumas are all considered “urban growth areas,” or areas designated by city and county governments to be used specifically for urban development. The only recreational fires allowed in urban growth areas are barbeques and small campfires.
With the weather staying consistently dry and moisture levels in vegetation dropping to dangerous lows, small sparks, lightning strikes and man-made mistakes can easily rage into forest fires. In last year’s record-breaking fire season, forest fires affected 674,249 acres in Washington, according to a report issued by the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center.
Violating the burn ban results in a $250.00 fine, but the penalty doesn’t stop there.
“If you have a fire that escapes or needs to be extinguished by the fire department, you may be held financially responsible for fire suppression costs, as well as be criminally charged,” the press release stated.
Fire suppression costs $400 an hour per fire unit, and air units can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, “depending on the size of the fire,” said Will Anderson, fire investigator for the Whatcom County Fire Marshal’s Office.
Before any burning, residents must call the Outdoor Burning Information Line at (360) 778-5903 for approval. More extensive guidelines on what recreational burning is currently allowed in unincorporated Whatcom County can be found online.
