OLYMPIA — A campfire ban put into place in late July for Olympic National Park and Olympic National Forest was lifted on Thursday.
Interagency fire managers announced the change for all lands and campgrounds within the Olympic park and forest as well as for North Cascades National Park Service Complex and Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.
Weather changes
The decision to lift the campfire ban was due to the fire danger moderated by cooler, moist weather and the forecast for significant rainfall, according to a press release issued Thursday.
Although fire restrictions have been lifted locally, park visitors and forest users are reminded to always take precautions to ensure fire safety, the release said.
Both the Northwest region (Washington and Oregon) and the nation remain at a Preparedness Level 5 — the highest level of wildland fire activity, it pointed out.
The majority of firefighting resources are already deployed due to the large amount of wildland fire activity throughout the country.
To reduce the risk of human-caused blazes, visitors are asked to remember that fireworks are always prohibited on federal public lands, to dispose of cigarette smoking materials in ashtrays and to familiarize themselves with local restrictions before going camping.
To report a fire, dial 9-1-1.
The move to Stage 2 fire restrictions in late July was due to the extremely dry conditions, the need to align with state and county campfire restrictions, the commitment of firefighting resources battling numerous wildfires around the nation and the strain any new uncontrolled fires would have placed on these resources, the release said.
