OKANOGAN COUNTY, Wash. — Okanogan County commissioners have declared a county wide burn ban, citing dry summer weather conditions.
The burn ban will go into effect this Friday, Aug. 12 and prohibits all outdoor burning, including recreational fires. According to the county, combustible materials include, but are not limited to outdoor burning of yard waste, non-emergent agricultural burning, exploding gun targets and bullet tracer rounds.
The ban will remain in place until Oct. 15, 2022 unless extended by county commissioners.
After consulting with the Fire Advisory Committee, commissioners were advised that fire blight is an ongoing issue throughout orchards within the county. According to the committee, the best method for preventing the spread of fire blight is to burn the infected trees.
Property owners and orchardists who need to burn fire blight trees will have to contact the Tri-County Pest Control Office at (509) 667-6827 to obtain a County Agricultural Burn Permit before burning anything. These permits can be served by pest control following a site inspection.
After the permit is served, property owners should call the Okanogan County Sheriff Dispatch at (509) 422-7232 option #4 before conducting any burning. Owners should have sufficient onsite water supply and fire tools to man the burn at all times until the fire is fully extinguished, commissioners said.
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