One good thing about the return of soggy weather is that Whidbey Island is less likely to go up in flames.

As a result, Island County Sheriff Mark Brown, who’s also the county’s fire marshal, decided to relax fire-related rules a bit.

On Wednesday, the sheriff’s office announced a reduction in the county’s burn ban restriction. Cooking fires and campfires are now allowed under the type II ban. Bonfires using charcoal or firewood that occur in designated areas or on private property are also allowed.

Fires must be contained in an enclosure, near hoses or other means of extinguishing the fire, at least 10 feet away from timber or other combustible materials and at least one person aged 16 or over must be present. Enclosures must be at least 16 inches high, no wider than 3 feet across and made of cement block, stones or number 10 gauge steel.

Any outdoor burning requiring a permit and fires used for debris disposal purposes are still restricted.