Wood-Burning Ban Extended Through Friday In Orange County

ORANGE COUNTY, CA — A ban on indoor and outdoor wood burning was extended through Friday in Orange County due to a forecast of high air pollution in the region.

A residential no-burn day alert will be in effect through 11:59 p.m. Friday for all residents in the South Coast Air Basin, which includes Orange County and the non-desert portions of Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties, according to South Coast Air Quality Management District.

The alert does not apply to mountain communities above 3,000 feet, the Coachella Valley or the high desert. Homes that rely on wood as a sole source of heat, low-income households and those without natural gas service also are exempt from the requirement.

"South Coast AQMD reminds residents in these areas that burning wood in their fireplaces or any indoor or outdoor wood-burning device is prohibited at any time on no-burn days," the district said in a news release. "The no-burn rule prohibits burning wood as well as manufactured fire logs, such as those made from wax or paper."

Particles in wood smoke, also known as fine particulate matter or PM2.5, can get deep into the lungs and cause respiratory problems such as asthma attacks.