Whitman County Gazette - Serving Whitman County since 1877

OLYMPIA - A wildfire state of emergency and limited burn ban is in effect until Sept. 30.

Gov. Jay Inslee made the declaration on July 6.

"Washington is facing a historic drought and we have already experienced record-breaking heat. We must be vigilant in our efforts to prevent wildfires," Inslee said. "We don't want a repeat of recent years with dangerous wildfires across the state that have destroyed towns, killed livestock, and resulted in weeks of unhealthy air quality."

Exceptions to the ban include charcoal grills, gas stoves that are at least 5 feet from flammable vegetation, and sm...