Onalaska firefighters work to put out grass fire off Jorgensen Road. / Courtesy photo by Lewis County Fire District 1
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
Just because the outdoor burn ban has been lifted, it doesn’t necessarily mean wildfire danger is over.
That’s the message from the Onalaska Fire Department who spent about an hour yesterday afternoon extinguishing a fire that popped up in a field.
Crews were called just before 2:30 p.m. to the 800 block of Jorgensen Road where they found grass burning an area of approximately 150 feet by 50 feet, according to Lewis County Fire District 1.
Assistant Fire Chief Rhonda Volk said the landowner said he was burning a stump this weekend out in the middle of a field that hadn’t been used for awhile, and thought he got it all put out.
“What happens, is fire burns down into the roots, and they can smolder for months,” Volk said.
She believes the gusty winds helped reignite it.
A crew of five saturated the edges of the area and dug down to make sure the entire stump and its roots were extinguished, she said.
The outdoor burning restrictions that were put into place in mid-June in unincorporated Lewis County were lifted on Saturday morning.
“After careful review, of the current and extended weather forecast, the Lewis County Building Official-Fire Marshal, has determined that current weather conditions within Lewis County have improved and will lift the restriction to allow outdoor burning, subject to an open burning application and permit,” Lewis County Community Development Director Lee Napier stated in a news release on Friday.
Still, officials urge residents to be attentive.
The county reminds people to supervise any outdoor burning until the fire has been extinguished and to have fire extinguishing equipment on hand.
Four large wildfires broke out in Lewis County last month in the midst of an exceptionally hot and dry summer, three of them in Onalaska. The 102-acre fire off Gish Road and the Gore Road chicken farm fire at 175 acres were bigger than any seen in three decades in areas near homes.
Even campfires were prohibited for a few weeks.
Outdoor burning in unincorporated Lewis County is limited to only natural vegetation. Always prohibited is burning any kind of garbage, paper of other refuse.
To obtain an Open Burning Application and Permit, individuals may apply on-line at http://lewiscountywa.gov/burn-permit-2 or in person at the Lewis County fire marshal’s office.
For further information concerning outdoor burning, Lewis County Building Official-Fire Marshal Doyle Sanford can be reached at 360-740-1146. The fire marshal’s office is in the Lewis County Public Services building, located at 2025 NE Kresky Avenue in Chehalis.
The Lewis County Board of Commissioners makes the rules for areas in Lewis County that are outside any city limits and not part of any state or federal lands. For information about any of those other locations, folks can call their fire department.
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter