All outdoor burning — including campfires — is prohibited on private land in Okanogan County. The countywide burn ban took effect at midnight on Friday (August 4).
The ban means that all field, rubbish and vegetation burning is prohibited on private land in the county. Campfires and recreational fires, even in a fire pit, are not allowed.
The complete ban was implemented after the county’s fire advisory committee reviewed conditions and recommended the ban to the county commissioners because of the high risk of wildfire. The committee includes representatives of Okanogan County fire districts, Okanogan County Emergency Management, the Sheriff’s Office, the U.S. Forest Service, and the state Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
DNR has banned all outdoor fires on all lands it manages in the county, in state forests and in campgrounds (including the Loup Loup and Loomis state forests). DNR’s ban also applies to private and county lands under its protection. Campfires are now prohibited on all DNR-managed lands east of the Cascades.
At Pearrygin Lake and Alta Lake state parks, charcoal and wood fires are completely banned. Gas and propane self-contained camping stoves and bottled fuel are allowed.
The Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest is still under Stage 1 restrictions, which prohibit campfires and charcoal fires except in established campfire rings at designated campgrounds.
Pressurized liquid fuel stoves are permitted in the national forest, but only in areas where all overhead and surrounding flammable material within 3 feet of the device has been cleared.
Smoking in the national forest is prohibited except in an enclosed vehicle, building or designated campground. Fireworks and explosives are prohibited everywhere in the forest. Motor vehicles must stay on official forest roads.
Industrial fire precautions have gone into effect, limiting certain activities to between the hours of 8 p.m. and 1 p.m. and prohibiting others altogether. For more information, see https://fortress.wa.gov/dnr/protection/ifpl.
Okanogan County has been under a burn restriction since June 15, which allowed recreational fires under certain conditions. This burn ban supersedes that, prohibiting all outdoor burning.
