Wood-Burning Banned In Bay Area Under 2-Day Spare The Air Alert

BAY AREA, CA — A Spare the Air Alert was issued for Monday and Tuesday for the San Francisco Bay Area, making it illegal for residents and businesses in the nine counties to burn wood or manufactured firelogs in fireplaces, wood stoves and inserts, pellet stoves, outdoor fire pits or any wood-burning devices, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District announced.

Concentrations of particulate matter pollution are forecast to be unhealthy. High levels of particulate matter pollution are harmful to breathe, especially for young children, seniors and those with respiratory and heart conditions, the air district said.

Cold overnight temperatures, dense fog and limited vertical mixing allow wood smoke to hover at ground level, leading to unhealthy air quality, air district officials said.

"Wood burning has immediate and long-term health impacts, harming those most vulnerable," said Sharon Landers, interim executive officer of the air district.

Exemptions are available for homes 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 that is registered with the air district to qualify for an exemption. An open-hearth fireplace no longer qualifies for an exemption.

— Bay City News Service contributed to this report.