Mount Rainier National Park has lifted the parkwide burn ban after consultation with federal fire management officials, according to a news release Thursday.
Campfires will be permitted at the park’s three campgrounds, including the Ohanapecosh Campground, the Cougar Rock Campground and the White River Campground.
The White River Campground is expected to close for the season on Monday, Sept. 25. Ohanapecosh Campground and Cougar Rock Campground are expected to close for the season on Sunday, Oct. 8.
Developed campground guidelines for fires can be found online at https://www.nps.gov/mora/planyourvisit/campgrounds.htm.
“Fires must be fully contained within the closed grate,” the park stated in a news release. “Never burn trash and do not leave fires unattended. Branches, twigs and cones nourish the forest as they decompose; do not collect these materials to create a fire. To protect Mount Rainier National Park’s forests, please ‘buy it where you burn it’ — firewood brought in from other areas may contain invasive insect species that pose a serious threat to park habitats.”
Additionally, to protect the park, officials from the park ask visitors to consider the following:
• Buy firewood near where it will burn: that means the wood was cut within 50 miles of where the campfire will be.
• Wood that looks clean and healthy can still have tiny insect eggs, or microscopic fungi spores that could start a new and deadly infestation. Always leave it at home, even if the firewood appears safe.
• Aged or seasoned wood is still not safe. Just because the wood is dry doesn’t mean that invasive insects are not living there.
• Tell friends not to bring wood with them. Everyone has a role to play in protecting native forests.
Fires are never permitted on trails or in the park’s backcountry. For more information on wilderness camping, consult the park’s wilderness guidelines. Discharging, or using any kind of fireworks, tracer ammunition or other incendiary devices in any location on federal lands is always prohibited.
The fire ban was put into place on Aug. 18 to reduce the risk of human-caused wildland fire during a period of hot, dry conditions and high fire danger.
More information about visiting the park can be found at the Mount Rainier National Park website.
