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Stage 2 burn bans in Pierce & Snohomish counties

A high pressure system continues to trap air pollution near the ground, prompting the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency to elevate the burn bans in Pierce and Snohomish counties from Stage 1 to Stage 2.

Stage 1 bans remain in effect for King, Kitsap, Mason and Thurston counties.

During a Stage 2 burn ban:

  • No burning is allowed in ANY wood-burning fireplaces, wood stoves or fireplace inserts (certified or uncertified) or pellet stoves. 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 a wood stove is a home's only adequate source of heat.
  • No outdoor fires are allowed. This includes recreational fires such as bonfires, campfires and fire pits.
  • Burn ban violations are subject to a $1,000 penalty.
  • It is OK to use natural gas and propane stoves or inserts during a Stage 2 burn ban.

 
During a Stage 1 burn ban:

  • No burning is allowed in fireplaces or uncertified wood stoves. 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 a wood stove is a home's only adequate source of heat.
  • No outdoor fires are allowed. This includes recreational fires such as bonfires, campfires and fire pits.
  • Burn ban violations are subject to a $1,000 penalty. 
  • It is OK to use natural gas, propane, pellet and EPA certified wood stoves or inserts during a Stage 1 burn ban.

You can get more information on burn bans from pscleanair.org and waburnbans.net.

Dave Meyer has been anchoring KNKX news shows since 1987. He grew up along the shores of Hood Canal near Belfair and graduated from Washington State University with degrees in communications and psychology.