Bucket Brigade: Burn Ban Goes Into Effect on Monday
Apparently, two weeks of dry-ish weather is all it takes to put King County into the realm of critical fire danger.
Beginning Monday, the King County Fire Marshal has declared an outdoor burn ban, from 8 a.m. on August 8, until Friday, Sept. 30th. The ban, which is being put in place to reduce the risk of fires when sustained periods of dry weather are predicted.** Under a fire-safety burn ban, "small recreational fires" in designated fire pits are allowed, as are contained barbecues and gas grills. However, any and all fires must (according to the Fire Marshal's press release):
- Be built in a metal or concrete fire pit, such as those typically found in designated campgrounds;
- Grow no larger than three feet across;
- Be located in a clear spot free from any vegetation for at least 10 feet in a horizontal direction, including a 20-foot vertical clearance from overhanging branches; and
- Be attended at all times by an alert individual with immediate access to a shovel and either five gallons of water or a connected and charged water hose.
...Which really just means no uncontrolled bonfires in your back yard.
This ban is not to be confused with an air-quality burn ban, which are put into place when air pollution reaches a level that is deemed unhealthy. Unlike fire-safety burn bans, air-quality burn bans restrict not only the use of outdoor fires, but also that of indoor fire places and stoves, unless they are an individual or family's only source of heat.
**So, this is actually kind of good news...because it means that the weather is supposed to stay nice!
