State officials banned burning across Snohomish County and parts of Pierce County through the weekend, citing poor air quality from high levels of wood smoke.
The Puget Sound Clean Air Agency announced a Stage 1 Air Quality Burn Ban for Snohomish County on Saturday, which will stand through Monday. Late Sunday morning, the agency also announced a similar ban for the greater Pierce County area, in effect until further notice.
The Pierce County ban does not include the Key Peninsula, Gig Harbor, Roy, Ashford and Eatonville fire districts, the agency said in a news release.
A Stage 1 ban prohibits the use of wood-burning fireplaces, uncertified wood stoves and outdoor burning, with few exceptions. Air quality conditions are expected to clear during the daytime, though the smoke will accumulate again in the evening and nighttime hours, the agency said online. A Stage 2 ban tightens restrictions even further, prohibiting burning in any wood-burning fireplaces or stoves, unless that heat source has an approved exemption.
Running, cycling and walking outdoors can lead to unhealthy conditions for sensitive groups — like those with heart or lung conditions — and even some lower-risk adults, the agency said online.
"Maybe take it easy today," the agency suggested for those groups of people in King, Pierce and Snohomish counties.
The agency's air quality monitor shows a wide swath of "moderate" conditions across Puget Sound with a few spots showing conditions as unhealthy or unhealthy for sensitive groups. Most of Seattle registered as "moderate" or "good" as of Sunday morning.
The type of burn ban now in effect is known as an air quality burn ban, which is common for the winter months when people are using wood-burning stoves. Burn bans can also be issued during the summer if wildfire smoke hovers over the area and worsens air quality.
This summer, Seattle's air quality ranked among the worst in the world as wildfire smoke covered the area.
