Meanwhile in Seattle

Week 1 (August 2018)

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Welcome to Meanwhile in Seattle. In this series I post images and write about anything related to what's going on in Seattle, Washington and the surrounding area. It's a chance for you to catch a glimpse of the daily life out here. Sometimes these posts will be general to all of the area and sometimes it may be more personal, like what I did on a weekend out here. Either way, I hope you enjoy seeing a different perspective on this area that I call home.

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Smoke, Fires & Smoking Caused Fires

I've mentioned previously in a post that the summers out here are incredibly dry. We can sometimes have months of zero rain and as a result many areas look dead and we lose that 'emerald city' look. Along with the dryness comes the risk of fire. As a result the state of Washington puts into effect summer fire rules that typically go from April 15th to October 15th. According to the DNR,

Last year, more than 32,800 acres of DNR-protected lands were consumed by 815 wildfires. Out of 815 wildfires, 90 percent were human-caused.

At the moment, there is a statewide Burn Ban in effect. Along with the burn ban is a law against flicking a lit cigarette or other lit material. In the state of Washington it's illegal to throw a lit cigarette on the ground, like out of a car window for example. Violating this law could cost you a $1,025 dollar fine and that seems fair considering that 90% of forest fires last year were caused by humans.

And to top it off, if you are a smoker and are careful not to start fires but still want to smoke make sure that you do it at least 25 feet away from any building entrance. Oh and don't do it in any public park in Seattle either, it's prohibited. All Seattle parks are smoke-free.

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