KONP – Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz signed an order Monday creating a statewide burn ban on all forestland under the Washington State Department of Natural Resources’ fire protection. The ban, which covers 12 million acres of public and private land, took effect Tuesday and is valid through Sept. 30 unless fire conditions improve.
The burn ban was prompted by prolonged hot, dry weather conditions combined with gusty winds across the state that contributed to a spike in wildfires over the weekend. Currently, there are four large fires burning in Washington:
The largest is the Colockum Fire near Wenatchee, which has burned about 3,500 acres. Half of those acres are DNR jurisdiction.