Klickitat County officials are asking residents to voluntarily refrain from outdoor burning during the COVID-19 pandemic.  While recognizing fire can be a necessary tool to manage lands, they say smoke from fires can result in negative consequences for the public and first responders, including smoke inhalation causing respiratory symptoms that incorrectly appear to be COVID-19 leading to unnecessary testing of self-isolation, and increasing the risk of contracting or worsening respiratory diseases due to exposure to smoke.  In addition, first responders have a limited supply of personal protective equipment, and have limited resources to respond to out of control burns.  Klickitat County officials suggest using alternatives to burning like composting or chipping yard debris on site, or hauling yard debris to a composting site or to the transfer station for disposal.  More information is available at klickitatcounty.org.