Propane Firepit Restrictions - West Coast

[CA_Traveler]

What are the restrictions for a propane firepit on the West Coast? WA, OR and CA have all had some significant fires in the last 2 years so I'd like to get an idea of restrictions before leaving for the summer.

[opnspaces]

Initially I did not agree with Rhagfo but after thinking about it further I now agree. Back in 2003 the Cedar fire raged through San Diego and destroyed houses in my neighborhood. With the winds driving that fire the sparks were jumping fire lines and landing a mile away to start new fires. So a firepit in a parking lot can have a leaf, a plastic grocery bag or a newspaper blow through the flame on it's way to start a fire.

[ScottG]

Yes, I think a propane fire pit that emits no sparks sitting on an asphalt or concrete in the middle of a lush, green, grassy field is perfectly safe. The rules are different in the middle of a dry desert area. :S
The state park service agrees.

[CA_Traveler]

Lots of good input and suggestions which I appreciate. We've always been careful about having a wood fire and will continue with our propane firepit.

Several years ago an incident scared the H*LL out of us. Traveling on Interstate 5 in northern CA we passed an area that 2 hours later was consumed by fire. Cars and trucks were abandoned and burned on I5. With the pileup behind them they had to run out of the area.

[BarabooBob]

I totally agree with rhagfo. Why is having an open fire such a necessity during high or extreme fire conditions. Have you ever had to fight a wildfire. I have and it will change your perspective.
As a property owner (I own a registered Tree Farm) I do not allow anything except cook stoves set up in a metal table during high danger events. No charcoal grills, no fire pits, no camp fires, no smoking.

[rhagfo]

CA Traveler wrote:
What are the restrictions for a propane firepit on the West Coast? WA, OR and CA have all had some significant fires in the last 2 years so I'd like to get an idea of restrictions before leaving for the summer.

ScottG wrote:
In Wa they have always been allowed in State CG's no matter how bad fires are or what the burn-ban situation is. That's why we bought a PP firepit in the first place.

:S
Do any of you really think that a Propane Fire pit is safe in extreme or even high fire danger?
As a park host I have seen some people do some pretty stupid actions with their "Safe" propane Fire pit.

Is that campfire so important to risk loosing the beautiful campground you are currently in, or the one you plan on going to next week or next month??

There is nothing crazier than during high or extreme fire danger to have someone with their Propane fire ring shooting flames 3'+ in the air, and thinking it is safe. It takes nothing other than a dry leaf blowing through that flame to start a fire that with in seconds can be out of control.

My wife and I host for Oregon State Parks, we have some of the nicest parks in the US. Last year during September we lost part of at least four campgrounds, along with several day use areas.
We had a couple host that lost their rigs, the fires moved so fast.

If not for a heroic stand by Oregon Forestry firefighters and Drakes Crossing volunteer fire department, we could have lost Silver Falls State Park.

Almost lost Silver Falls!

Other Park Damage

We are currently hosting at a Rails to Trails day Use park in Buxton, OR. we have a 21 mile paved trail from Banks to Vernonia with a 100 year old 80' tall and 733' long trestle that walkers and bikers can ride across, I would hate to loose it to fire.

Banks to Vernonia State Trail

We had host friends that only managed to save their trailer, by leaving all connections water hose, stinky slinky, etc.

PLEASE Rethink how important it is to have that "SAFE" propane fire pit!

[ScottG]

It's June 4th and the the State Parks website shows there are no bans on campfires in any Wa. state CG's right now. Alert center
It looks like state CG's follow their own guidelines regarding campfires and the county has theirs.
What ever the case, we have never been to a Wa state CG where our PP pit wasn't allowed.
Of course, there have been times when there was so much smoke in the air that we didn't even wan't to have a fire!

[enblethen]

June 1st 2021 burn ban goes into effect. Yes, when allowed campfires are allowed in some campgrounds, But when red flag conditions are enacted no open fires, no smoking on trails. We are not suppose to mow lawns!
Saw several of our big wild fire trucks head toward Soap Lake this morning. Didn't see any smoke in that direction. Had a couple grass fires along SR 17 last week.

[ScottG]

enblethen wrote:
Did you look at the RED bar on the chart on the link I posted earlier?

According to this site Link, Recreational fires in approved devices in CG's are still allowed. But that looks outdated.. At any rate, we aren't talking about right this minute and every square inch of every state. We're talking generalities.

There may have been times when even PP firepits were banned but if there were, they were very rare and the OP's question about being able to use one of them in a (Wa) CG during normal fire bans is in my experience a pretty safe bet. Definitely worth bringing along on his trip.

[enblethen]

Did you look at the RED bar on the chart on the link I posted earlier?

[ScottG]

enblethen wrote:
ScottG: That is King county. Parts of Douglas, Chelan and Grant counties are under fire warning. Red flag comes down tonight at 10 hopefully

A portable propane fire pit is OK now in all of those and for the 6~7 years I we have been using one, they have never been banned in state CG's. If I'm missing something, plz school me! 🙂

[enblethen]

ScottG: That is King county. Parts of Douglas, Chelan and Grant counties are under fire warning. Red flag comes down tonight at 10 hopefully

[bob_nestor]

Seems like the rules on fires cover a lot of territory and are open to interpretation by campers, authorities and a lot of those self-appointed who think they know everything about anything and go out of their way to tell you that.

My solution is simple - I built an LED fire pit in a small bucket. Puts out all the ambience of a real campfire (flickering flames and all) without the heat or danger of starting a real fire, it can be totally extinguished by just unplugging, can easily run off the inverter when boondocking and as an added benefit there's no smoke, fumes or hot ash that always seems to follow some people with real campfires. The only downside is it can't roast hot dogs or do S'mores.

[ScottG]

enblethen wrote:
We are currently in "Red Flag Warning"

Propane fire pit use is still acceptable Link

[profdant139]

It is possible that even propane campfires are impermissible when boondocking in extreme drought conditions. For example, this is from the Inyo National Forest website, effective May 24, 2021:


Campfires allowed only in fire pits provided in developed campgrounds, see Exhibit A. (That exhibit lists the campgrounds.)

A portable stove or lantern using gas, jellied petroleum or pressurized liquid fuel may be used with a valid wilderness permit. Dispersed camping requires a valid CA Campfire Permit for stove or lantern use.

No fireworks.

No smoking, except within an enclosed vehicle, building, a developed recreation site, or in an area at least 3 ft in diameter cleared of flammable material.


So if you classify a propane fire ring as a campfire, that seems to mean that you can't use it at all when boondocking. But if you classify a propane fire ring as a stove, then maybe you can use it, as long as you have a permit?

Personally, speaking as a drought-scarred Californian, we do not have any outdoor flame when boondocking. If you cause a forest fire, you could be ruined financially. And you'd feel bad, too. 😉