If you start any kind of fire this summer, you’re going to pay the price.

The San Juan County Fire Marshal has issued a burn ban for the county, which means campfires, fire pits, free-standing fixtures, and beach fires are all banned. Those who disregard the ban will be fined and/or billed the cost of fighting the fire, if the Orcas Fire Department gets called.

“We’re scared,” Orcas firefighter Paul Turner said. “We’ve had two significant fires on the island already.”

Unless there is a substantial amount of rain, this burn ban will be in effect through the summer. The Orcas Fire Department has posted signs across the island, informing the public about the ban, but the department is still getting calls about what is allowed.

“No means no,” Turner said. “No fires right now. That’s it.”

The Orcas department plans to bill the cost of suppressing a fire to anyone who has not adhered to the marshal’s order.

“We don’t want one person to ruin it for everyone else,” Orcas Fire Public Information Officer Max Jones said. “Huge fires like we’ve had are what runs costs up. A fine is just a slap on the wrist. Recovering the cost of a fire can be several thousand dollars.”

Because of the high volume of wildland fires throughout Washington and Canada, if Orcas has a major fire and calls for outside help from the DNR and other fire departments, it could be days away.

“They do their best to help us out, but we’re on our own right now,” Jones said.

Jones asks people to remember that even a tiny fire can have serious consequences. If any sparks blow onto a beach, it could ignite days later. Or if a campfire goes deep into the ground, it can smolder without anyone knowing and cause a fire days or weeks later.

“It is so dry right now that the soil is not moist, even deep down,” she said. “It’s unusually dry. The ignitability right now is extreme.”