Burn Ban Issued For Everett, Snohomish County and Puget Sound

In spite of the cold a burn ban has been issued…

STAGE 2 BURN BAN IN EFFECT  FROM NOON SUNDAY (1/13/13) UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE

Please  rely on your home’s cleaner source of heat until air quality improves

SUNDAY, JANUARY  13, 2013 – The Puget Sound Clean Air Agency is issuing  a Stage 2 burn ban in King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties to protect residents  from worsening air quality.  The bans are effective at noon, Sunday,  January 13, 2013 and remain in effect  until further notice.

Overnight, many areas around the Puget Sound reached air pollution levels  of “UNHEALTHY FOR SENSITIVE GROUPS”, especially in areas where wood burning is  common.  Agency forecasters expect the  current cold, dry, and stagnant weather conditions to extend well into the week.  The Clean Air Agency will continue to closely  monitor the air quality and weather situation.

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. 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. The only exception is if a wood stove is a home’s only adequate source of heat.
• 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.

It is OK to use natural gas and propane stoves or inserts during a Stage  2 burn ban.

The  Washington State Department of Health recommends that people who are sensitive  to air pollution limit time spent outdoors, especially when exercising. Air  pollution can trigger asthma attacks, cause difficulty breathing, and make lung  and heart problems worse. Air pollution is especially harmful to people with  lung and heart problems, people with diabetes, children, and older adults (over  age 65).

(Note: The Seattle  Parks Department prohibits beach  fires at Alki and Golden Gardens during the burn ban.)

For more  information:         

• Updated air pollution data       and forecasts
• Frequently asked questions       about burn bans
• How to heat efficiently and       cleanly