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Burn bans still in effect, chief says

By Meg Olson

Despite a little mid-month rain, burn bans went into effect in July and stayed there.

“This hot dry wind has certainly dried things out,” Point Roberts fire chief Bill Skinner told fire district 5 commissioners at their monthly meeting July 11. As of that morning only recreational fires meeting specific conditions are allowed in Whatcom County, and only under certain conditions.

“This year they’re making recreational fires a little more restrictive, Skinner said. “They want to keep them as small as possible, especially in even slightly windy conditions.”

Skinner said the department would also be stepping up enforcement of burning regulations, specifically targeting those who use a burn barrel to dispose of garbage, a practice outlawed statewide.

“It is really unhealthy, un-neighborly and unfriendly,” he said, citing the pollution, possible health risks, and odor problems that accompany burning garbage. ”I finally caught who I think is one of the worst offenders this weekend and gave him a citation.”

Skinner said residents shouldn’t hesitate to call 911 or the local fire station if they suspect an illegal burn or someone burning garbage. When the fire department responds for the first time he said their mission is primarily education and safety. “The first time all I do is issue a Whatcom County burn violation notice,” he said. “Our job is to explain what they can and cannot do.”

A second offense however can be costly. When the local fire department issues a citation the county fire marshal can assess a fine of $250, the state up to $700 and the local fire department can bill for the cost of responding to the burn, at least $300.

Skinner said they had issued five violation notices in the weeks since the burn ban went into effect, mostly to first-time offenders with campfires that didn’t meet guidelines or did not have a recreational permit.

Recreational fires must be in an approved enclosure made of stone or firebrick, a minimum of three feet across and 16 inches high. A permit for an approved fire pit is needed, and they are available for $20 a year from the local fire department at 945-FIRE. Only charcoal and seasoned wood can be burned and a hose and shovel must be available.

More information on burning restrictions is available from the county fire marshal’s office at 360/676-6934 or the Northwest Clean Air Agency at 800/622-4627. The ban is expected to remain in place until mid to late September.