KITSAP COUNTY, Wash. — Kitsap County’s fire marshal announced Friday that the county-wide ban on outdoor burning will be expanding to include recreational burning.
The Phase II burn ban is effective immediately.
According to the Kitsap County Fire Marshal, a Phase II outdoor burn ban prohibits all types of outdoor fires, regardless of whether or not the fire is in a designated fireplace or campground. With limited exceptions, no open flames are permitted; the prohibition does not include gas or propane-fired appliances. It also doesn't affect barbecues using charcoal briquettes.
A fire on a popular beach in North Kitsap County burned through huge pieces of driftwood and brush, causing the county to extend its burn ban to campfires.
It took 22 firefighters and two fire boats about 12 hours to put out Thursday’s fire at Point No Point Lighthouse Park. Local resident Elise Erickson was surveying the damage Friday night.
“We should know at this time of year, when we’ve had this drought and things are so tinder dry, it’s a dangerous problem,” she said.
Firefighters said it is possible embers from a campfire left burning on the beach may have started the fire -- leading to the campfire ban until further notice. Burning garbage and debris was already banned because of the drought conditions.
People can still use gas and charcoal grills in Kitsap County.
“The chance that we could have multiple fires in our mutual aid area, where we get resources from, those chances are much higher,” said Michele Laboda with North Kitsap Fire and Rescue. “That’s what we’re trying to prevent.”
Firefighters do not want people to be fooled by the potential of a cloudy, and at times rainy, weekend. They remind everyone it took a long time for everything to get so dry, and it will take a long time to undo the damage.
"The spread of yesterday's half-acre fire in Hansville shows how dangerous conditions have become,” said Fire Marshal David Lynman.
Fire officials have not determined the cause of the fire but evidence suggested that it was sparked by either an improperly-extinguished beach fire or fireworks.
"It'll take much more than a few showers to improve conditions," says Lynam, "It took a long time to create this situation; it will take a long period of cooler temperatures and a lot of rain to make it better."
For more information, contact the Kitsap County Fire Marshal at 360-337-5777.
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