Outdoor burning is banned in Washington County.
The ban is immediate and countywide.
“In consultation with the Oregon Department of Forestry and other members of the Washington County Fire Defense Board, all Washington County fire agencies are re-enacting a High Fire Danger Burn Ban,” Forest Grove Fire & Rescue said in a statement.
The ban was enacted over increased wildfire risk after several burn piles escaped their bounds and sparked November wildfires, according to the statement. Burning will remain banned until weather conditions change.
What’s banned
Backyard or open burning of yard debris and branches
Agricultural burning of agricultural waste, crops, or field burning
Slash, stump, debris or controlled land clearing-type burning of any kind
What’s allowed
Small outdoor cooking, warming, and recreational fires, barbecue grills, smokers, and other cooking appliances.
Fires have a maximum fuel area of three feet in diameter and two feet in height, must be located safely away from vegetation or material it could ignite, and be fully put out after use.
Cooking appliances must burn clean, dry fuels such as dry firewood, briquettes, wood chips, pellets, propane, and natural gas.
Those within lands protected by the Oregon Department of Forestry and within one eighth of a mile of their borders may have further restrictions on burning, and should consult the state agency’s fire restrictions website.
State law allows the cost of firefighting and additional legal fees to be recouped from a person who starts a fire in violation of these orders.
Chas Hundley is the editor of the Banks Post and sister news publications the Gales Creek Journal and the Salmonberry Magazine. He grew up in Gales Creek and has a cat.