Burn restrictions begin in Mason County

Burn restrictions go into place Thursday morning in Mason County and they likely won’t be lifted until the fall.

Video from Chopper 7 shows smoke and flames rise from scorched fields. It’s a sight we see nearly every summer in Washington.

This year, Mason County fire officials are trying to get ahead of the game. They’ve already put out 10 wildfires this year, including a 7-acre fire in Matlock.

“I think it’s a lot better to be prepared for the season than to play catch up,” said Capt. Jeromy Hicks, North Mason Regional Fire Authority.

Hicks said they’re one of the first counties in the state to start burn restrictions.

They’ve put out nearly 100 wildfires since 2017. Every year, it’s getting worse.

“It causes a lot of work on the responders and also kind of puts a lot of people in danger for these fires,” he said.

The restrictions ban burning yard debris and natural vegetation. People aren’t allowed to use fire to clear their land.

The rules don’t stop people from having campfires in a fire pit, but campers know that can quickly change as the weather dries out and heats up.

“It’s pretty disappointing because we go over there camping a lot and if it’s real dry then we can’t have campfires,” said Billy Smith.

In 2017, Mason County counted 35 wildfires. In 2018, they had 47 fires. Eight to 10 of those were investigated for arson.

“I don’t know how that’s going to curb the arson-type fires, but what we’re going to start doing is eliminating the fires unintentionally set by yard debris fires,” said Hicks.

The burn restrictions begin at 8 a.m. and will likely be in effect through September or October.

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