The Bay Area Air Quality Management District has issued a Spare the Air Alert for Monday, meaning a ban on burning wood, manufactured fire logs or any other solid fuel, both indoors and outdoors.
The alert is the second of the winter season, prompted by predicted colder overnight temperatures and light winds that could lead to deteriorating air quality due to smoke from increased wood burning.
The air district said that a forecast high-pressure system over Northern California “will act like a lid, trapping smoke at ground level,” while offshore winds could also allow Central Valley air pollution to drift into the Bay Area.
“On Monday, smoke from residential wood burning is expected to cause unhealthy air throughout the Bay Area,” said Jack Broadbent, executive officer of the Air District. “During this holiday season, when respiratory health is a priority for us all, it is critical that everyone does their part to improve air quality and protect public health by not burning wood.”
It’s illegal for residents and businesses in the region to use their fireplaces, wood stoves, pellet stoves, outdoor fire pits or any other wood-burning devices during a Spare the Air Alert for fine particle pollution. Exemptions are available for homes without permanently installed heating, where wood stoves or fireplaces are the only source of heat.
Anyone whose sole source of heat is a wood-burning device must use an EPA-certified or pellet-fueled device registered with the air district to qualify for an exemption. An open-hearth fireplace no longer qualifies for an exemption.
Nope. Not gonna happen. I’m gonna burn just becuase you don’t want me to
“On Monday, smoke from residential wood burning is expected to cause unhealthy air throughout the Bay Area,” said Jack Broadbent, executive officer of the Air District”
How does Jack know residents will be burning wood? Is that the only thing that makes the air unhealthy?
Spare the AIR nazi’s back off. We are in lock down and anything to make things easier would be so appreciated and needed during the holidays.
Who gave them this power? And why? So, lock yourselves in your home because you might catch a disease with a high percentage of survivability, but you cannot burn wood to stay warm (or just because it is cool!) because those outside might be overcome with smoke. So are we inside or outside?
So, why doesn’t the stupid board focus on burning clean hardwoods such as Madrone, Oak, Almond that produce limited smoke/ash instead of cheap Pine etc that produce a crap ton of smoke/particulate/ash. Teach people to burn cleanly instead of just preventing it.
And since when does an open-hearth fireplace no longer qualifies for an exemption? Not that I had/have one, but wow. Wish I had known you could get an exemption, I would have applied!
Any my fire was started early this morning before I realized stupid bureaucrats had spoken.
Yeah? Come get me.
It is almost noon still heavy fog and still in the thirties. If you burn no one will see it.
Just spare me. Will Becton give violators a pass like she does for rioters, looters, arsonists and thieves?
What about burning Pot ?
What a bunch of Jackasses in the creek. Lock them up and boil them.
The only green in WC is the weed.