Health & Fitness
Officials Ask Bay Area Residents To Skip Thanksgiving Fires
Kids, elderly people and people with respiratory problems are most vulnerable to wood smoke-related health issues.
BAY AREA, CA — The Bay Area Air Quality Management District is asking residents not to burn wood on Thanksgiving Day but is not issuing a Spare the Air alert that would ban them from doing so.
Air quality in the region is expected to be moderate Thursday for the holiday so the air district is discouraging the burning of wood so pollution doesn't rise to unhealthy levels.
Wood smoke from the 1.4 million fireplaces and wood stoves in the Bay Area is the main source of air pollution in the region in the winter months and can be particularly harmful to children, the elderly and people with respiratory problems, according to the air district.
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"We are asking Bay Area residents to help keep air pollution low this Thanksgiving by not burning wood indoors or outdoors," air district executive officer Jack Broadbent said in a statement. "If we refrain from having a fire this Thanksgiving, we can all enjoy a healthier, happier holiday weekend."
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