Time to 'Spare the Air' in the Peninsula... Again

BAY AREA, CA – For the fourth straight day, wood burning will be banned in the Bay Area on Thursday due to a Spare the Air alert in the region. The Bay Area Air Quality Management District says it's issued another alert since air quality is forecast to be unhealthy.

"Winter air pollution is mainly caused by particulates or soot pollution from wood smoke," officials said in a news release. "Smoke from wood-burning fires is linked to illnesses such as asthma, bronchitis and lung disease, and is especially harmful for children and the elderly."

On Spare the Air days, it is illegal to burn wood or other solid fuels in fireplaces, wood stoves and inserts, pellet stoves, outdoor fire-pits, or other wood-burning devices, according to the District.

An exception is made for residents whose sole source of heat is a wood-burning device, but that device must be Environmental Protection Agency-certified or a pellet-fueled device registered with the air district.

Exceptions are no longer made for open-hearth devices, according to the air district.

Violators can face fines up to $500.

– Image via Shutterstock/ Bay City News Service contributed to this report