Asotin County under Stage 1 burn ban
SPOKANE - Stagnant weather conditions have prompted the Washington Department of Ecology to add Asotin County to an existing Stage 1 burn ban.
Klickitat County also will be added to the ban that includes Ferry, Pend Oreille, Stevens, Chelan, Douglas, Kittitas, and Okanogan counties, until further notice.
According to the department, a persistence of strong, high-pressure weather is keeping air conditions stagnant, putting communities at risk for unhealthy levels of air pollution. Fine particles from wood smoke can easily get into people's lungs, causing heart and breathing problems.
Under a Stage 1 ban, all outdoor burning is prohibited including residential, agricultural and forest burning. Use of uncertified wood stoves, fireplaces, inserts and other uncertified wood-burning devices is prohibited unless they are a home's only adequate source of heat. Certified wood stoves, pellet stoves and other certified wood-burning devices are allowed.
Lewiston firefighters respond to shop fire
A detached shop caught fire Wednesday evening on the 3700 block of 13th Street in Lewiston.
Lewiston firefighters responded at 7:32 p.m. to the shop fire and were able to extinguish it. The blaze was contained to a mezzanine area of the shop, and the fire appeared to have started around a stovepipe. Nine personnel responded to the fire.
No one was injured, but the shop sustained smoke, water and flame damage.
The fire's cause remains under investigation.
