Fire restrictions issued by BLM for Eastern Washington

SPOKANE — Per a fire restriction issued by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Spokane District, burning on public lands under the umbrella of the BLM and Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) is now prohibited.

The prohibition went into effect at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday and covers the following Eastern Washington counties: Adams, Asotin, Benton, Chelan, Columbia, Douglas, Ferry, Franklin, Garfield, Grant, Kittitas, Klickitat, Lincoln, Okanogan, Pend Oreille, Spokane, Stevens, Walla Walla, Whitman, and Yakima.

The BLM is urging people to be cautious when driving on roads or trails with vegetation and high grasses. Because of the high risk of fire danger the public is also encouraged to not bring fireworks or exploding targets onto public lands. The BLM says the easiest way to prevent target shooting fires is to ensure the target area – which should be at least 20 feet around the target – is free of vegetation, minimize the usage of ammunition that contains steel and do not go shooting when outdoor conditions are hot, dry and windy.

“Target shooting with the use of exploding targets (including Tannerite) is prohibited. Target shooters who start wildfires may be responsible for the cost of fire suppression. Wildfires caused by recreational target shooting in dry grasses have steadily increased on the Spokane District over the last few years,” reads a BLM press release.

Campfires are allowed under the BLM’s fire restriction, but the public is asked to make sure campfires are extinguished and cold before leaving the area.

In addition, the following acts are also prohibited: causing a fire other than a campfire, firing a tracer or incendiary device (including fireworks), leaving a fire without extinguishing it and entering an area that is close by a fire prevention order.