Burn ban elevated to Stage 2 in Pierce County

UPDATE as of 2 p.m. Sunday: The Puget Sound Clean Air Agency is maintaining the Stage 2 burn ban, which is also in effect for Snohomish County. The town of Darrington is under a Stage 1 burn ban.

“Pierce County residents west of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge on the ‘Pierce Peninsula’ (Gig Harbor Fire #5 and Key Peninsula #16) and in ‘South Pierce’ county (Roy Fire #17, Eatonville, and Ashford #23) are not included in today’s burn ban,” the agency said in a statement.

For burn ban updates, call 1-800-595-4341 or visit http://www.pscleanair.org/.

INITIAL POST: The Puget Sound Clean Air Agency on Friday elevated the burn ban in effect in Pierce County to Stage 2, further limiting use of wood stoves.

Under a Stage 2 ban, no burning is permitted in any fireplaces, wood stoves or fireplace inserts (certified or uncertified) or pellet stoves, unless it is the only adequate source of heat.

Outdoor burning is banned, including recreational fires.

No ban was in effect in Thurston County as of Friday. King and Kitsap counties might soon fall under the ban, the clean air agency said.

The National Weather Service has announced an air stagnation advisory for much of the region, including Pierce and Thurston counties.

It warns that temperature inversions and light winds could make for worsened air quality until noon Monday.

The Environmental Protection Agency said a burn ban that was to take effect at midnight Friday would be in place until further notice for many Indian reservations in the state.

That will include the Puyallup and Nisqually reservations.

All outdoor burning will be prohibited, except ceremonial and traditional fires, the agency said.

Residents of the reservations were asked to limit driving, idling vehicles, and use of wood stoves and fireplaces where possible, to help with air quality.

This story was originally published November 27, 2015 at 5:34 AM with the headline "Burn ban elevated to Stage 2 in Pierce County."