Pend Oreille County Fire Danger Increased to Moderate in Foothills Region

The Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced that the fire danger in Pend Oreille County’s Foothill region increased to “Moderate”.

Effective 5/22/26 at 0001 hours: If you have a written permit, burning is allowed subject to the conditions of your permit. Rule burns, not to exceed 10 feet in diameter, are allowed for forest debris from property that is not improved. Campfires are allowed, however campfires are not allowed on state land except in DNR campgrounds. Contact the county for information on recreation burning on improved property. Contact Department of Ecology to check if an air-quality ban is in place for your area.

Please notify the Pend Oreille County Sheriff’s Office the day of your burn by calling 509-447-1980.

Residents are reminded of the following burning guidelines from the Washington State Department of Ecology:

Burning in a burn barrel is illegal everywhere in Washington!
You can burn only natural vegetation.
If smoke from your fire affects your neighbor, you must put out your fire.
Burning is not the only way to get rid of natural vegetation. Consider composting & chipping.
Where burning is allowed, you may burn only one pile at a time.
Do not leave your fire unattended.
No residential fires are allowed within 500 feet of forest slash
If you see someone you think is burning illegally, or if the smoke from someone’s fire is bothering you, call Ecology’s toll-free complaint line at 1-866-211-6284.
No fires are allowed within 50 feet of structures.
You can’t burn materials hauled from another property in your fire.
No outdoor fires are allowed when air pollution levels are unhealthy.