'No-Burn' Season Starts Monday In Sherman Oaks: AQMD

SHERMAN OAKS, CA — If you want to keep lighting the jack-o’-lanterns after Halloween, you will need to check first. On Monday, the South Coast Air Quality Management District will start its “Check Before You Burn” season, which will last until Feb. 28.

During the season, the AQMD issues No-Burn Days when home fires could lead to unhealthy air. When a No-Burn Day is declared, wood-burning is banned for 24 hours in residential fireplaces, stoves, or outdoor pits. The restrictions are most common on “calm and cool winter days,” when the AQMD says wood burning can make air quality unhealthy.

"Smoke from residential fireplaces is a significant source of PM2.5 (particulate matter) during the winter months in the South Coast Air Basin," Wayne Nastri, AQMD executive officer, said in a statement. "Residents can do their part to improve air quality by spreading awareness and choosing not to burn wood when No-Burn Days are announced."

Information on the restricted days is available on www.aqmd.gov/cbyb or on the AQMD's mobile phone app. Residents can also sign up online to receive alerts on when No-Burn Days are declared.

— City News Service contributed to this report.