Another Winter 'Spare the Air Alert' Called for Tuesday

The Bay Area Air Quality Management District is issuing the season’s seventeenth Winter Spare the Air Alert for Tuesday, December 24, which bans the burning of wood, manufactured fire logs or any other solid fuel both indoors and outdoors for 24 hou

Although a strong weather system moved through the Bay Area late last week, a high pressure system has set up across the region this weekend and pollution is once again forecast to reach unhealthy levels on Sunday.

"We want everyone to enjoy their holiday this week, but unfortunately, weather conditions are causing unhealthy, muddy air again,” said Jack Broadbent, executive officer of the Bay Area Air District. “Air is forecast to be extremely unhealthy this week so it is imperative that residents protect air quality and not burn in their indoor or outdoor fireplaces.”

It is illegal for Bay Area residents and businesses to use their fireplaces, woodstoves, pellet stoves, outdoor fire pits or any other wood-burning devices during a Winter Spare the Air Alert. Homes without permanently installed heating, where woodstoves or fireplaces are the only source of heat, are exempt.

Like cigarette smoke, wood smoke contains fine particles and carcinogenic substances that make the air harmful to breathe.  Wood smoke is the major source of air pollution in the Bay Area in the wintertime and is especially harmful to children, the elderly, and people with respiratory conditions.

First-time violators will be given the option of taking a wood smoke awareness class, online or by mail, to learn about the hazards of wood smoke pollution in lieu of paying a $100 ticket. Second violations will result in a $500 ticket, and subsequent ticket amounts will be higher.

The public must check before they burn during the Winter Spare the Air season, which runs from November 1 through February 28. The daily burn status can be found:

• On the Air District Web sites: www.baaqmd.gov or www.sparetheair.org
• Via the toll-free hotline 1-877-4-NO-BURN (complaints can also be filed via the hotline)
• By signing up for AirAlerts at www.sparetheair.org or phone alerts at 1-800-430-1515
• Via the Spare the Air iPhone and Android Apps