WEST PLAINS – Fire chiefs in Spokane County issued burn restrictions on Monday to all residents due to hot weather conditions expected throughout the week. The restrictions apply to all jurisdictions within the county.
“We did converse, as the County Fire Chiefs, and agreed that given the high temps this week with low relative humidity along with dry fuel conditions, it was time to invoke burn bans for recreational fires,” Cheney Fire Chief Tom Jenkins said in an email.
The restrictions apply to all unauthorized recreational fires and open burning. Recreational fires are those burning without a chimney such as a backyard fire pit or campfire using chopped wood or charcoal and include cooking fires or fires on private property for pleasure or ceremonial purposes. Open burning is defined as any burning of fields or yard wastes.
The restrictions are added to ones already implemented by the Department of Natural Resources for permit and rule burns. According to information from Spokane County Fire District 3, rule fires are those using silvicultural debris from the homeowners unimproved property while permit fires involve piles of debris greater than four feet needing DNR approval.
The Spokane County ban takes effect immediately on Monday, July 20, and is for an indefinite period while weather conditions remain hot, with low humidity and little chance of moisture. According to the National Weather Service, Tuesday and Wednesday should be the hottest, with temperatures well into the 90s, with a slight cooling trend bringing temps back into the mid to high 80s through the weekend.
Winds could gust to 25 miles an hour on Wednesday, with humidity remaining in the 25 – 35 percent range.
John McCallum can be reached at jmac@cheneyfreepress.com.
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