SPOKANE, Wash. — It's an every year thing in eastern Washington; burn restrictions go into effect as the weather gets warmer.
Twenty eastern Washington counties are currently under burn restrictions issued by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Many of these restrictions went into effect on Friday.
It's disappointing for camper Anthony Pitcher, but he knows the importance of it.
"I don't want to be the one that causes one and is responsible for it," Pitcher said.
Suzanne Endsley with BLM says it's necessary for people to adhere to the restriction.
"If you want to cook something take a propane stove, any type of open fire is prohibited at this point," she said. "If you're going to smoke do it in your vehicle or you're in a gravel road where there's no flammable materials. Really staying on the designated roadways. Carburetors can get really really hot."
It's not only campgrounds where you have to follow these rules; a burn ban has already been in place in Spokane for a week.
"It specifically is meant to reduce the risk of wild fires," said Brian Schaeffer, the city of Spokane's fire chief. "Anything that emits an ember or could emit an ember, so anything where you're burning wood, you want to make sure that you don't do that during this period."
However, there are alternatives to still cook food and have fun.
"You can burn LPG, liquid propane, natural gas, something that's clean that doesn't have embers," Schaeffer said.
Burn restrictions will stay in place indefinitely until the weather changes. For more information on burn restrictions in your area, click here.
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