News brief: Zero outdoor burning allowed, unless it’s in a covered barbecue

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Recreational campfires even on private property are prohibited starting tomorrow in unincorporated Lewis County, given the ongoing and worsening dry conditions.

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If you want to roast marshmallows out of doors, you can still do that as long as it takes place inside a propane or charcoal barbecuer that has a lid.

The county Board of Commissioners put outdoor burning restrictions in place in mid-June, given the substantial fire danger.

Today they issued the stricter rule and will leave it in place until further notice. It begins right after midnight tonight.

“The Lewis County fire marshal, in coordination with the chiefs of local fire districts, strongly urge all county residents and property owners to be attentive to the conditions of their properties through proactive fire prevention measures,”  Lewis County Community Development Director Lee Napier stated in a news release.

The board of commissioners have authority over areas in Lewis County that are outside any city limits and not part of any state or federal lands.

The state Department of Natural Resources put similar restrictions in place at the end of June on all state-owned lands.

DNR personnel have been dispatched to at least two local brush fires in recent days, taking over from local fire departments on larger grass, brush and timber fires.

As of last Friday, 655 wildfires had ignited on the 13 million acres DNR protects across the state. By this date in 2014, the worst wildfire season in state history, there had been 455 fires.

For further information, Napier can be reached at 360-740-1146.

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This entry was posted on Thursday, August 6th, 2015 at 4:34 pm and is filed under News briefs. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

2 Responses to “News brief: Zero outdoor burning allowed, unless it’s in a covered barbecue”

  1. T. Orr says:
    Friday, August 7, 2015 at 1:33 pm

    A HUGE thanks to all the nicotine-addled tobacco heads throwing their butts out the windows and starting roadside arson fires.

    Cigarette smokers don’t care about anything but feeding their nicotine fits.

  2. Bill S says:
    Friday, August 7, 2015 at 12:29 am

    That’s a bit of overkill I think. I like to cook my steaks on my old forest service fire pit with some Adler wood and beer marinade. Much tastier than gas. I’ve got a water hose right next to it. Commissioners are a bunch of killjoys.