Put away the fire pit. Snohomish County's Stage 2 burn ban, effective Friday, Aug. 7, prohibits all outdoor burning across the county, including recreational campfires and backyard fire pits, until further notice.

The ban escalates a Stage 1 restriction that had been in place since June 22, which still allowed recreational fires. Now nothing burns outdoors unless it's gas- or charcoal-fueled.

Fire Marshal Seth Henderson's office issued the order citing continued fire danger and the deployment of local firefighters to Eastern Washington, where blazes have destroyed hundreds of structures. The ban will lift only after "a sustained period of rainfall or if the fire risk is reduced," according to the county's announcement.

Gov. Bob Ferguson ordered a statewide burn ban on Aug. 1, running through Sept. 30, and secured a federal emergency declaration for the Eastern Washington wildfires on Aug. 4.

What's still allowed

Residents can still use propane fire tables and gas-fueled cooking appliances. Charcoal grills remain permitted. Self-contained wood pellet grills are allowed only on concrete or another non-combustible surface. The county Fire Marshal's page notes that charcoal and ash must be discarded in a metal container, doused with water and kept 10 feet from vegetation or combustible materials for 72 hours.

Local crews fighting Eastern Washington fires

The ban comes as Snohomish County fire agencies stretch thin. Eleven firefighters from Snohomish Regional Fire & Rescue are deployed to the Bradeen Hill fire in Stevens County, which has burned more than 4,000 acres, and the Old Trails fire in Spokane County. Sky Valley Fire in Gold Bar sent eight more. Three Everett Fire Department firefighters joined crews in Spokane on Aug. 1, the Lynnwood Times reported.

Lucia Schmit, director of Snohomish County Emergency Management, told The Herald that most fires statewide have been human-caused.

"This is not campfire season," Schmit said. "We're just encouraging people to be very careful with their cigarette butts, with the chains on their trailers so they're not dragging and causing sparks along the side of the road."

Free preparedness class Aug. 19

Snohomish Regional Fire & Rescue is offering a free online wildfire preparedness class at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 19. The session covers defensible-space measures, which Schmit said include trimming brush and tree limbs, clearing pine needles from gutters and roofs, and moving wood piles away from structures.

Washington now sees 50 to 60 large wildfire mobilization requests per year, up from six to eight historically, according to Eric Andrews, chief of Sky Valley Fire and Northwest Fire Defense Region coordinator.

Residents can call the Snohomish County Outdoor Burning Information Hotline at 425-388-3508 to verify current ban status. County emergency alerts and wildfire information are available at bit.ly/snocowildfire.