Because of unusually dry weather conditions, a Clallam County burn ban took effect June 19 and will run through Oct. 1 unless conditions require the ban to be extended, officials from the county Department of Community Development said this week.

The burn ban applies to all outdoor burning.

Fires for debris disposal are not legal under any circumstances and are not considered recreational. If conditions arise, the restrictions may be upgraded to a High Fire Danger status; this prohibits all outdoor burning and includes recreational fires.

An exception is within the Olympic National Park and other controlled campgrounds.

The Clallam County Fire Marshal’s office strongly urges all county residents and property owners to be attentive to the conditions of their properties through fire prevention measures.

State burn ban

A burn ban is now in effect for all state-protected lands in Washington because of increasing fire danger. The state Department of Natural Resources on June 22 extended a burn ban to Western Washington, an order that includes the agency’s 371,000 acres on the Olympic Peninsula.

The statewide ban runs through Sept. 30.

The ban means all outdoor burning is prohibited in state forests, state parks and forestlands protected by the state agency.

Recreational fires in approved fire pits within designated state, county, municipal and other campgrounds are still allowed, but fireworks and incendiary devices, such as exploding targets, are prohibited on all state lands protected by DNR.