Air district issues second Spare the Air alert of winter season
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WALNUT CREEK, CA - AUGUST 22: Traffic on Highway 24 moves smoothly as motorist travel through a thick cloud of smoke in Walnut Creek, Calif., on Saturday, Aug. 22, 2020. With over 500 wild fires burning in California the Bay Area is inundated with un
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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.
Bay Area Spare the Air alert issued for Monday due to smoke
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A woman walks her dogs near Jack London Square in Oakland in September under smoky skies, near the height of the devastating wildfire season. Another Spare the Air alert has been issued for Monday.Paul Chinn / The Chronicle
A Spare the Air alert is in effect for the Bay Area on Monday. That means wood burning is banned for a full 24 hours.
In a tweet announcing the order, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District said that cool overnight temperatures and light winds were shaping up to trap particle pollution from smoke near the ground. The primary concern was pollution from people burning wood in their homes, Jack Broadbent, the the air district’s executive officer, said in a statement. There is also the possibility that offshore winds could blow air pollution from the Central Valley 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.
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