Commissioner of Public Lands Peter Goldmark announced today that he is lifting the ban on recreational fires in approved fire pits on forest lands under Department of Natural Resources (DNR) fire protection within state, county, municipal or other campgrounds west of the Cascade Mountains crest. Other outdoor burning is still banned in western Washington and all outdoor burning remains proscribed on DNR-protected lands in eastern Washington.

“Fire safety is our foremost priority,” Goldmark said, “and we constantly monitor conditions to gauge risk. Recent rainfall and forecasts of milder temperatures, higher humidity and further precipitation have abated the risk in the western region.  However, I urge everyone to remain vigilant regarding wildfire danger throughout the state.”

DNR encourages homeowners to take steps to decrease the risk of wildfire damage. Learn more about Firewise Communities® at www.firewise.org.

Fire safety information

• Other than recreational fires in approved fire pits within developed campgrounds, burning is banned in western Washington.
• No campfires are allowed on any land protected by DNR east of the Cascades, even in developed campgrounds.
• Be sure recreational vehicles have operating spark arresters.
• Do not park any vehicles in dry, grassy areas as residual heat from exhaust systems can ignite the dry grass.
• It is illegal to discharge fireworks or use incendiary ammunition or exploding targets on DNR-protected lands.

Stay connected during wildfire season

• DNR’s Fire Twitter: twitter.com/waDNR_fire
• Incident Information System (InciWeb): inciweb.nwcg.gov/state/49/