Definition of outdoor burning from the Washington State Clean Air Act: “Outdoor burning means the combustion of material of any type in an open fire or in an outdoor container without providing for the control of combustion or the control of emission from the combustion.”
The Washington Department of Ecology regulates all types of outdoor burning (residential, agricultural, special and land clearing) except sivicultural (forest land) burning, which is regulated by the Washington State Department of Natural Resources.
Air quality burn bans are called by Ecology, local clean air agencies, and tribes to protect human health. A burn ban can limit wood stove use and outdoor burning. Burn bans do not apply to homes with no other source of heat. Ecology calls burn bans only in counties with no local clean air agency, which includes Klickitat County. Before burning, find out if there is an air quality burn ban in place at https://ecology.wa.gov/Air-Climate/Air-quality/Smoke-fire/Burn-bans .
Klickitat County establishes a fire safety burn ban every year, from early summer until at least the end of September, for all unincorporated areas of the county. The county is divided into three burn ban zones. Zone 1 is the eastern third of the county; Zone 2 is the middle section; and Zone 3 is the western end of the county. To determine which zone you are in (High Prairie is in Zone 2), go to the map at https://www.klickitatcounty.org/DocumentCenter/View/4992/All-County-Burn-Ban-Zones-Map- .
Outdoor burning requirements:
1. Fire size no larger than 10 foot diameter; only burn one pile at a time.
2. Minimum five (5) gallons water, shovel, fire extinguisher and/or charged garden hose.
3. Fire is built on bare soil.
4. The only debris that can be burned: natural wood products, non-treated lumber scraps, trimmings, clippings, and natural vegetation. (Citations are issued due to this violation in Klickitat County.) There are also alternatives to burning which you should consider, like chipping.
5. Ditch and fence line burning can be done in 10’ X 10’ sections at a time with adequate water to put out area burned. The next 10’ X 10’ section can then be lit. Caution: Must have containment lines such as roads, driveways, plowed fields, or hand trails down to mineral soil.
6. Burn barrels are not approved. WAC 173-425. (Citations are issued due to this violation in Klickitat County.)
7. In the event of air inversions, it is recommended by DOE to monitor media coverage for our area. If an inversion has occurred, stop burning until DOE has lifted restrictions.
(For more information, contact DOE 1-800-406-5322. Website: https://ecology.wa.gov/Air-Climate/Air-quality/Smoke-fire/Burn-bans )
8. Agriculture burns must be approved by DOE by calling 1-509-575-2490.
9. Minimum of 50 feet from any structure.
10. Fire must be attended to at all times.
11. If an outdoor fire started by you escapes, you may be responsible for paying costs associated with the extinguishment of that fire.