WHATCOM COUNTY, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – A burn ban is back in effect for a portion of Whatcom County.

The Northwest Clean Air Agency has issued a Stage 1 air quality burn ban for Columbia Valley as of this morning.

Cooling temperatures and stagnant air is in the forecast for the next few days, meaning smoke particles can’t clear out of the air as quickly.

In a stage 1 burn ban, residents in the affected area are not allowed to burn wood in fireplaces or uncertified wood stoves unless it is their only source of heat.

My Bellingham Now previously reported that a burn ban was in effect for Columbia Valley late last month.