MONTESANO— Effective 12:01 a.m. Monday, August 1, Grays Harbor County Fire Districts and Fire Departments in cooperation with the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Olympic Region Clean Air Agency (ORCAA), enacted restrictions on all outdoor burning. All residential burning, along with land clearing and silvicultural [forest practices] burning will be prohibited until further notice.
Recreational campfires are allowed if built in improved fire pits in designated campgrounds, such as those typically found in local, county, and state parks and in 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 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.
