Washington County burn ban goes into effect with high temperatures

WASHINGTON COUNTY Ore. (KPTV) – All fire agencies across Washington County enacted a burn ban beginning Monday in response to high-fire danger and a recommendation by the Washington County Fire Defense Board.

Included agencies are Banks Fire District #13, Cornelius Fire Department, Forest Grove Fire Department, Gaston Rural Fire District, Hillsboro Fire & Rescue, and Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue.

The burn ban will prohibit the following:

• Backyard or open burning (branches, yard debris, etc.).
• Agricultural burning (agricultural wastes, crops, field burning, etc.).
• Any other land clearing, slash, stump, waste, debris, or controlled burning.

The burn ban will not prohibit:

• Small outdoor cooking, warming, or recreational fires. These include portable or permanent fire pits, fire tables, and campfires, with a maximum fuel area of three feet in diameter and two feet in height in a safe location away from combustibles or vegetation and are fully extinguished after use.
• Barbeque grills, smokers, and similar cooking appliances with clean, dry firewood, briquettes, wood chips, pellets, propane, natural gas, or similar fuels.

Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue warns someone not knowingly violating the ban may be liable for costs incurred as well as legal fees.

An ordinance in the city of Hillsboro bans the burning of yard debris and trash all year.

For more information on burns bans, click here.

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