Bay Area Residents Asked Not To Burn Wood Through New Year's Holiday

BAY AREA, CA — The regional agency responsible for protecting air quality in the nine-county Bay Area has asked the public not to burn wood in their fireplaces, woodstoves or outdoor fire pits through the New Year's holiday.

This will keep the air quality in the region from becoming unhealthy, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District said Monday afternoon. Without additional wood burning, the district expects the air quality to stay in the moderate range throughout the Bay Area this week.

"A Spare the Air Alert is NOT in effect, and wood burning is not illegal," the air district said. "However, wood burning is strongly discouraged."

Officials said burning wood during the New Year's holiday could significantly impact localized areas, neighborhoods and indoor air quality.

"Like cigarette and wildfire smoke, wood smoke contains carcinogenic substances such as particulate matter, benzene and formaldehyde, which are harmful when inhaled," the air district said. "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."

Further, the air district asked residents to refrain from setting off personal fireworks displays this new year, as the mixture of smoke from fireworks and burning wood can cause an unhealthy spike in air pollution and create excess smoke and ash in neighborhoods.