06/27/2006: "Four Days Left To Burn"

Fire Danger in the San Juan County is now listed as moderate, but the time to burn is coming to an end. According to a press release by the SJI Fire Department, the spring rains may have made the San Juan's spring greener than usual, but with warm and dry weather forecast the last bits of green will quickly turn brown. The wet spring has meant heavier plant growth, and that means more potential fuel for fires, according to San Juan Island Fire Department Chief Bill McLaughlin. He warns there's potential for a worse than average fire season this year and people should be cautious.

Residents are reminded that open burning season ends at midnight, June 30 for all of San Juan County. Four-foot clean-up burns and larger land-clearing burns are prohibited during the summer. Recreational fires, which may be up to 2-feet across, are still allowed until fire danger reaches "high". No permit is required for recreational fires. The fire departments recommend that you have a hose or buckets handy, and a shovel or rake to extinguish any fires that might escape.

Fire danger is now moderate. The San Juan Island Fire Department responded to two wildfires over the weekend, including one fire that grew to just over one acre before being contained. The department has responded to 6 fires already this year, compared to 11 for all of 2005.

With the forecast calling for increasingly dry conditions, fire danger may reach high by early July.
For more information, contact your local fire department: Friday Harbor 378-4183, San Juan Island 378-5334, Lopez Island 468-2991, Orcas Island 376-2331 or Shaw Island 468-4560.