FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 18, 2009
Fire danger rating increases to ‘moderate’ in Pend Oreille County
OLYMPIA – The Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced today that fire danger ratings will increase from low to moderate in Pend Oreille County, effective midnight, June 18.
Lincoln County, Spokane County, Okanogan County, and Fire Districts 1 & 2 in Stevens County are currently at moderate rating.
No burn restrictions are being implemented at this time. Landowners with a burn permit will need to follow the rules for moderate rating when they are burning.
The recent rains have kept Pend Oreille County in a low rating, but predicted warmer weather is the reason why the fire danger rating will be increased to moderate.
The public also is reminded to make sure they have a fire break around all debris piles they are burning and to make sure they extinguish their debris fire with water and a shovel. The leading causes for debris fires becoming wildfires are failure to construct a fire break and failure to extinguish a burn pile.
Daily updates on burn restrictions are available at 1-800-323-BURN or on DNR’s website at www.dnr.wa.gov, then click on ‘fire information and prevention’ and go to ‘wildfire related maps.’ The ‘burn risk map’ link is in the bottom, right-hand corner.
DNR’s wildfire mission
Administered by Commissioner of Public Lands Peter Goldmark, DNR is responsible for preventing and fighting wildfires on 12.7 million acres of tribal, private, and state-owned forestlands. DNR is the state’s largest on-call fire department, with hundreds of people trained and available to be dispatched to fires as needed. During fire season, this includes several hundred DNR employees who have other permanent jobs with the agency, about 375 seasonal workers, and about 600 Department of Correction inmates. DNR also participates in Washington’s coordinated interagency approach to firefighting.
Media Contact: Guy Gifford, DNR NE Region, 509-990-6218, guygifford@dnr.wa.gov
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