Burn Ban Coming Christmas Night For Everett and Beyond

To find out more, call the Burn ban Hotline at 425-388-3508

Once Santa has been up and down the chimney and you’ve lit the Yule log Christmas morning be sure to have your fire out by 5pm Christmas night. At 5pm December 25th, a burn ban will go into effect in Everett and beyond due to poor air quality. Here’s the details from Puget Sound Clean Air Agency…

Due to increasingly stagnant weather conditions, the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency is issuing a Stage 1 burn ban for King, Pierce and Snohomish Counties, effective at 5 p.m. on December 25, 2013. This ban remains in effect until further notice.

“We need to keep our air healthy every day of the year, including holidays,” said Craig Kenworthy, Executive Director of the Clean Air Agency. “Stagnant conditions over the next few days are expected to cause pollution levels to exceed federal air quality standards and become unhealthy.”

During a Stage 1 burn ban:

• No burning is allowed in fireplaces or uncertified wood 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, propane, pellet and EPA-certified wood stoves or inserts during a Stage 1 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).

The purpose of a burn ban is to reduce the amount of pollution that is creating unhealthy air. Puget Sound Clean Air Agency staff will continue to monitor the situation.