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Stage 2 burn ban lifted in greater Pierce County

Wood Stove. Photo: Alan Levine / Flickr / CC BY 2.0 via MGN Online. 

UPDATE: The Puget Sound Clean Air Agency lifted the Stage 2 air quality burn ban on Wednesday.

The burn ban was put into effect on Monday due to air pollution levels that exceeded "unhealthy for sensitive groups."

Previous Coverage: 

The Puget Sound Clean Air Agency has issued a Stage 2 Burn Ban for greater Pierce County due to stagnant weather conditions and rising air pollution.

The stage 2 ban went into effect at 12 p.m. on Monday and will continue until further notice.

“Overnight, air pollution levels exceeded unhealthy for sensitive groups for several hours. We expect current conditions (light winds, clear skies, and colder temperatures) to continue through late Tuesday,” Joanna Cruse, with Puget Sound Clean Air, said in a news release.

Click here for more specific information of where the stage 2 burn ban is in effect.

“The purpose of a burn ban is to reduce the amount of pollution that is creating unhealthy air usually due to excessive wood smoke. The Clean Air Agency will continue to closely monitor the situation,” Cruse said.

A stage 2 burn ban restricts burning in any wood-burning fireplaces, certified or uncertified wood stoves ,or fireplace inserts. No outdoor fires are allowed as well, including bonfires, campfires and the use of pits and chimineas. Only natural gas and propane stoves or inserts are allowed during the ban.

“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,” Cruse said.

Homeowners with a previously ‘No Other Adequate Source of Heath’ designation from the Clean Air Agency are exempt from the ban’s restrictions.

Violators of the burn ban are subject to a $1,000 penalty.

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