UPDATE: Burn Ban Lifted in Pierce and Snohomish Counties

Good news, fireplace-lovers.

The burn ban ordered for Pierce and Snohomish Counties was lifted today. Here's the press release from the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency:

The Puget Sound Clean Air Agency is lifting the air quality burn bans issued on November 30, 2011 for Pierce and Snohomish counties, effective at 1:00 p.m., December 7, 2011.

Light winds forecasted for today and tomorrow are expected to reduce air pollution in the Puget Sound region, which built up this past week. Agency forecasters will continue to monitor weather conditions and air quality. If air pollution levels rise again later this week, another burn ban may be necessary.

We appreciate the public's cooperation with the burn ban. We encourage people to always check current air quality and burn ban status before they burn. Conditions can change quickly this time of year. Visit our Web site www.pscleanair.org or call our burn ban InfoLine at 1-800- 595-4341.

For those who heat with wood, please remember that it is always illegal to emit excess chimney smoke or to smoke out your neighbor. You know you are burning properly when you do not see any smoke coming from your chimney.

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Pierce and Snohomish County residents who enjoy the warmth of their fireplaces are getting a lump of coal this week.

The Puget Sound Clean Air Agency is elevating the existing burn ban in the two areas to Stage 2, effective today. And the bans are in effect until further notice.

“Air quality reached levels ‘unhealthy for sensitive groups’ last night in both Pierce and Snohomish Counties,” the agency wrote in a press release. “Clean Air Agency forecasters do not expect adequate ventilation to reduce pollution over the next 24 hours. A very weak weather system is expected Wednesday evening, which may temporarily break up some of the pollution, but the air stagnation is expected to continue into the weekend.”

According to agency, a Stage 2 burn ban means:

• No burning is allowed in ANY wood-burning fireplaces, wood stoves or fireplace inserts (certified or uncertified) or pellet stoves. Residents should rely instead on their home's other, cleaner source of heat (such as their furnace or electric baseboard heaters) for a few days until air quality improves, the public health risk diminishes and the ban is cancelled. The only exception is if a wood stove is a home's only adequate source of heat.

• No outdoor fires are allowed. This includes recreational fires such as bonfires, campfires and the use of fire pits and chimineas.

• Burn ban violations are subject to a $1,000 penalty.

It is OK to use natural gas and propane stoves or inserts during a Stage 2 burn ban. 
The Washington State Department of Health recommends that people who are sensitive to air pollution limit time spent outdoors, especially when exercising. Air pollution can trigger asthma attacks, cause difficulty breathing, and make lung and heart problems worse. Air pollution is especially harmful to people with lung and heart problems, people with diabetes, children, and older adults (over age 65).

This is the first air quality burn ban of the season for the Puget Sound region. The purpose of a burn ban is to reduce the amount of pollution that is creating unhealthy air. Puget Sound Clean Air Agency staff will continue to monitor the situation.