Following in the footsteps of a recently announced statewide burn ban by the state Department of Natural Resources, Grays Harbor County has announced its own burn ban.

The county’s burn ban began on Aug. 1.

Grays Harbor County fire districts and fire departments, in cooperation with the state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Olympic Region Clean Air Ageny, has announced restrictions for all outdoor burning. All residential burning, along with land clearing and forest burning will be prohibited until further notice.

A statewide DNR ban will continue until Sept. 30, but may be extended or shortened based on fire weather. A burn ban for agency-protected lands in eastern Washington had been in effect since July 2.

“The arrival of summer weather creates greater danger for wildfires, which are serious threats to safety, property and habitat. We have already seen a number of roadside fires start on both sides of the Cascades,” said Commissioner of Public Lands Peter Goldmark. “We must be cautious and vigilant to minimize the damage to our state.”

Outdoor burning is prohibited on all forest lands that DNR protects from wildfire. Anyone caught violating the burn ban can face fines. Prescribed ecological burns approved by DNR will be allowed if expressly approved by Commissioner Goldmark.

Like in the county, recreational fires in approved fire pits within designated state, county, municipal and other campgrounds are allowed:

The campfire shall be no greater than 3 feet in diameter and constructed of a ring of metal, stone or brick 8-inches above ground surface, with a 2-foot wide area cleared down to exposed soil surrounding the outside of the pit.

The campfire shall have an area at least 10 feet around it cleared of all flammable material and at least 20-feet of clearance from overhead flammable materials or fuels.

The campfire must be attended at all times by a responsible person at least 16 years old with the ability to extinguish the fire with a shovel and a 5-gallon bucket of water or with a connected and charged water hose.

The state agency’s burn ban does not apply to federally-owned lands, such as national forests, national parks, national wildlife refuges or other areas administered by federal agencies.

The City of Montesano announced its own burn ban which began on July 8. City restrictions are similar.

Fireworks and incendiary devices, such as exploding targets, sky lanterns or tracer ammunition are illegal on all DNR-protected forest lands.