Mount Rainier National Park has lifted the parkwide fire ban after consultation with federal fire management officials, park officials announced Friday, Sept. 20.
Campfires are now permitted at the park’s three campgrounds, including the Ohanapecosh Campground, the Cougar Rock Campground and the White River Campground.
The White River Campground was expected to close for the season on Monday, Sept. 23. Ohanapecosh Campground and Cougar Rock Campground are expected to close for the season on Tuesday, Oct. 15.
The fire ban was put into place on Aug. 10 to reduce the risk of human-caused wildland fire during a period of hot, dry conditions and high fire danger, according to a Mount Rainier National Park news release.
Park officials remind campers that fires must be fully contained within the closed grate and never left unattended. Campers are also reminded not to burn branches, twigs and cones, which nourish the forest as they decompose, or trash.
Campers are asked to “buy it where you burn it” instead of bringing in firewood from other areas, which may contain invasive insect species that can pose a serious threat to park habitats.
To protect the park, park officials ask campers to:
• Buy firewood that was cut within 50 miles of where the campfire will be.
• Leave firewood from outside areas at home, even if it appears safe. “Wood that looks clean and healthy can still have tiny insect eggs, or microscopic fungi spores that could start a new and deadly infestation,” park officials said in a news release
• Not burn aged or seasoned wood from outside areas. “Just because the wood is dry doesn’t mean that invasive insects are not living there,” park officials stated.
• Tell friends not to bring outside wood with them. “Everyone has a role to play in protecting native forests,” park officials stated.
Fires are never permitted on trails or in the park’s backcountry. Discharging or using any kind of fireworks, tracer ammunition or other incendiary devices in any location on federal lands is always prohibited.
Parks officials also remind campers that pets may not be left unattended or tied to trees, and pets are never permitted on park trails or in buildings.
Current campground information and information about visiting the park, including pet and fire guidelines, can be found at the Mount Rainier National Park website, https://www.nps.gov/mora/index.htm.
Thurston County will drop its burn ban on Monday, Sept. 30.
