Unincorporated Pierce County burn ban starts June 1

PIERCE COUNTY, Wash. - This weekend, a burn ban for unincorporated Pierce County will go into effect.

It'll start at 8 a.m. Saturday, June 1 and will last until further notice.

Pierce County officials declared the ban due to the expectation of warmer, drier days becoming more common and resulting in fires starting more easily and posing a greater threat to people and property.

This will go into effect for residents in unincorporated Pierce County, and residents of incorporated cities and towns are asked to contact their local jurisdictions.

The ban applies to all land clearing and outdoor burning of yard debris, and doesn't apply to small recreational fires. Gas, propane, charcoal or pellet self-contained stoves, smokers and barbecues are allowed.

Recreational fires must:

Be built in a metal or concrete fire pit, such as those typically found in designated campgrounds; and not used as debris disposal.
Grow no larger than three feet in diameter.
Be in a clear spot free from any vegetation for at least ten feet in a horizontal direction, including at least 25 feet away from any structure and allow 20-foot vertical clearance from overhanging branches.
Be always attended by an alert individual and equipment capable of extinguishing the fire like hand tools and a garden hose attached to a water faucet that is on, or not less than two, five-gallon buckets of water.
No burning when winds exceed 5 MPH.

Last year's burn ban was declared on June 6 and ended Oct. 3.