Should you see a notice regarding a burn ban in Thurston County, here’s how residents should respond until the ban is declared over.

What does a stage 1 burn ban mean?
Under a Stage 1 Ban:

• No burning is allowed in fireplaces or uncertified wood stoves,
• All outdoor burning is prohibited, even in areas where outdoor burning is not permanently banned and
• No visible smoke is allowed from any wood stove or fireplace, certified or not, beyond a 20-minute start-up period.

What are the restrictions in a stage 2 burn ban?

• No burning is allowed in ANY wood-burning fireplaces, wood stoves or fireplace inserts (certified or uncertified) or pellet stoves, unless this is your only adequate source of heat. Residents should rely instead on their home’s other, cleaner source of heat (such as their furnace or electric baseboard heaters) for a few days until air quality improves, the public health risk diminishes and the ban is cancelled.
• If your fireplace, pellet stove, or wood stove is your only adequate source of heat and therefore must be used, you must operate it cleanly. No visible smoke is allowed.
• No outdoor fires of any kind are allowed. This includes recreational fires as well as the use of backyard fire kettles, chimineas or fire pits.
• Burn ban violations are subject to a monetary penalty.

During a Stage 2 ban, residents may use natural gas and propane appliances.

What is an air stagnation advisory?

An Air Stagnation Advisory (ASA) is defined as a limited movement of the air mass over the advisory area, which will allow pollution to increase to dangerous levels. Persons with respiratory illness should follow their physicians advice for dealing with high levels of air pollution. ASA’s are called by the National Weather Service (NWS), in cooperation with local and state air quality Agencies.

The current NWS Alerts are found at https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wa.php?x=1.

Update: Since Beachcrest is in the Urban Growth Area (UGA) adjacent to Lacey, here is a summary of outdoor burning regulations that apply to our community. • http://laceyfire.com/outdoor-burning-permits/