Vancouver, WA – Effective Sunday, July 1, all land clearing and residential burning in Clark County will be restricted due to increased fire danger. Cowlitz and Skamania counties also will impose bans for lands in their jurisdictions.
Clark County Fire Marshal Jon Dunaway is canceling all burning permits issued in Clark County for this year. Permits can be reissued or extended when the ban is lifted. The burning restrictions do not apply to federally managed lands.
Clark County typically bans outdoor burning from July 15 through Sept. 30 each year. However, a ban can begin sooner or end later depending on conditions.
“After talking with the county’s Fire Chiefs and looking at the current conditions as well as the extended forecast, we are all in agreement that the ban should be implemented earlier this year,” said Dunaway.
At the same time, the Pacific Cascade Region of the Washington State Department of Natural Resources, DNR, will impose restrictions on both permitted and rule burning on DNR protected lands within these three counties. Permits that have been issued are suspended until the fire danger subsides in the fall. The fire danger in the three counties will be set to moderate, which prohibits rule burning. In effect, all debris burning is prohibited on DNR protected lands and fire district protected lands in the three counties until further notice.
Creating a defensible space around homes is important to prevent a grass or brush fire from reaching your home. Dunaway recommends these actions in both rural and urban areas:
Recreational campfires are still allowed if built in improved fire pits in designated campgrounds, such as commercial campgrounds and local, county and state parks. On private land, recreational fires are permitted when built according to the following regulations:
Self-contained camp stoves are a safe and easy alternative to camp fires for cooking.
For more information, please contact the Fire Marshal’s Office at 360.397.2186 or visit the county’s website at www.clark.wa.gov/development/fire/burning.html.