Local fire officials place limits on outdoor burning

Effective as of 12:01 AM on Tuesday, April 20th, 2021, restrictions on outdoor burning are into place within Grays Harbor. 

In a release from the Grays Harbor County Fire Marshal’s office and coordinating Fire Districts, restrictions are being enacted on outdoor burning in Grays Harbor County.  

This announcement comes following the recent trend of warm and dry weather.

Under the restriction,  residential yard waste and land clearing burning is restricted on a temporary basis until conditions moderate. 

According to the Fire Marshall, all residential yard waste and land clearing burning is prohibited until further notice.

The use of charcoal briquettes and recreational campfires are allowed if built in improved barbeques, fire pits or in designated campgrounds, such as those typically found in local, county, state parks or commercial campgrounds.

On private land, campfires are permitted with the landowner’s permission if built in the following approved manner:

• The campfire shall be no greater than 3-feet in diameter and constructed of a ring of metal, stone or brick 8-inches above the ground surface, with a 2-foot- wide area cleared down to exposed soil surrounding the outside of the pit.
• The campfire shall have an area at least 10-feet around it cleared of all flammable material and at least 20-feet of clearance from overhead flammable materials or fuels.
• The campfire must be attended at all times by a responsible person at least 16-years old with the ability to extinguish the fire with a shovel and a 5-gallon bucket of water or with a connected and charged water hose.

Completely extinguish campfires by pouring water or moist soil in them and stirring with a shovel until all parts are cool to the touch. The use of self-contained camp stoves is encouraged as an alternative.

Please contact your local fire district for further information or the Washington State Department of Natural Resources for updates on burn restrictions at 1-800-323-BURN and visit their website at www2.wadnr.gov/burn-risk.

Contact ORCAA at 1-800-422-5623 or visit their website at www.orcaa.org.

For information about fires on local BEACHES, contact Washington State Parks: (360) 902-8844

For more information on local fire restrictions;

• Fire Districts: Emergency pages of the local telephone book
• Grays Harbor County: Fire Marshal’s Office at (360) 249-4222
• City Fire Departments: Government pages of the local telephone book
• Washington State Department of Natural Resources: Pacific Cascade Regional Office at (360) 577-2025 or Olympic Region Office at (360) 374-2811
• Olympic Region Clean Air Agency: 1-800-422-5623
• Olympic National Park and Olympic National Forest: (360) 565-3121

For daily updates on burn restrictions

• Contact DNR at 1-800-323-BURN or visit the website at www2.wadnr.gov/burn-risk then click on fire information in the far right corner.
• Contact ORCAA at 1-800-422-5623 or visit their website at www.orcaa.org.