Politics & Government

Burn Ban Lifted for Western Washington

Gov. Chris Gregoire lifted the burn ban that had been place in Western Washington, after forecasts of rain in the region. The burn ban remains in place for Eastern Washington.

The burn ban that had been in place for Washington has now been lifted in the western part of the state because of the rain, Gov. Chris Gregoire announced Friday.

However, if you're planning to head east of the Cascades, , according to the governor's office.

“Today’s rain is a welcome change,” Gregoire said Friday in a prepared statement. “The new weather pattern now covering parts of our state eliminates the need to continue the burn ban in Western Washington. With that said, now is not the time to let down our guard. I urge all Washingtonians to continue to take extra caution to prevent additional human-caused fires. And given the on-going dry conditions east of the Cascades, it makes sense to continue to ban all outdoor burning in Eastern Washington. We must continue to take every step possible to ensure firefighters on the ground can continue to focus on the challenges at hand.”

Smoke-filled air caused by wildfires in the state remain, and the Department of Ecology continues to monitor air quality across Washington, according to the governor's office.

Air quality monitoring information is available here:

Find out what's happening in Bellevuewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/air/air_monitoring_data/WAQA_Intro_Page.html

The Washington State Department of Health provides answers to frequently asked questions about wildfire smoke at this link: 

Find out what's happening in Bellevuewith free, real-time updates from Patch.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from Bellevue