Stage 2 Burn Ban Restrictions In Place Now

 December 24, 2009 – Effective immediately, the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency is upgrading the burn ban in Pierce County to Stage 2. The Stage 1 burn ban issued yesterday for Kitsap and Snohomish counties remains in effect.

During a Stage 2 burn ban:

• No burning is allowed in ANY wood-burning fireplaces, wood stoves or fireplace inserts (certified or uncertified) or pellet stoves, unless this is your only adequate source of heat. Residents should rely instead on their home’s other, cleaner source of heat (such as their furnace or electric baseboard heaters) for a few days until air quality improves, the public health risk diminishes and the ban is cancelled.
• Even if your fireplace, pellet stove, or wood stove is your only adequate source of heat, no visible smoke is allowed.
• No outdoor fires are allowed. This includes recreational fires such as bonfires, campfires and the use of fire pits and chimineas.
• Burn ban violations are subject to a $1,000 penalty.