Day 11: Spare The Air Alerts Continue, No Burning Allowed in San Anselmo, Fairfax

Bay Area air quality officials have declared yet another Spare the Air day for Monday, which means that you still can’t burn in town— unless wood is the sole source of heat for your home.

This makes for the eleventh straight day that such an alert has been issued, which is a tie for last year’s record.

On days when alerts are issued, the use of fireplaces, woodstoves, pellet stoves, outdoor fire pits or any other means of burning wood or other solid fuels is prohibited. Residences that do not have permanently installed gas or electric heating devices can apply for an exemption.

First-time offenders face a $100 fine, with the option of attending a wood smoke awareness online or by mail in lieu of payment. Fines for subsequent offenses start at $500.

Here’s the full advisory from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District:

A Winter Spare the Air Alert has been issued for Monday, January 12, in the Bay Area.

Wood burning is banned both indoors and outdoors on Monday, for the full 24 hours.

Air quality in the Bay Area is forecast to be unhealthy. It is illegal for Bay Area residents to burn wood or other solid fuels in fireplaces, wood stoves and inserts, pellet stoves, outdoor fire-pits, or other wood-burning devices. This wood-burning ban will be in effect for Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, southern Sonoma and southwestern Solano Counties. (Visit www.sparetheair.org/Stay-Informed/Todays-Air-Quality/Reporting-Zones.aspx to see if your city is located within the Air District.)

Winter air pollution is mainly caused by particulates or soot pollution from wood smoke. Smoke from wood-burning fires is linked to illnesses such as asthma, bronchitis and lung disease, and is especially harmful for children andthe elderly.

For more information about the Wood Burning Rule, or to check before you burn, visit www.sparetheair.org or call 1-877-4NO-BURN.

You can also call 1-800-430-1515 and register to receive automatic phone calls when a Winter Spare the Air Alert has been called.

To see the current air quality forecast visit www.sparetheair.org.

Download our FREE Spare the Air iPhone/Android application for alert notifications, local air quality forecasts, podcasts and several tools to help reduce air pollution.

Thank you for doing your part to Spare the Air!

This AirAlert is provided by your Bay Area Air Quality Management District.