Thanksgiving 'Spare the Air' Alert Issued: No Wood Burning in San Anselmo, Fairfax on Turkey Day

By Renee Schiavone:

There will be little to no cozying up ‘round the fireplace this Thanksgiving in the Bay Area. In fact, it’s illegal unless you have one that doesn’t burn wood.

That’s because the Bay Area Air Quality Management District has issued another Winter Spare the Air Alert for Thursday, which means all forms of wood burning is banned both indoors and outdoors for a full 24 hours.

“Air quality in the Bay Area is forecast to be unhealthy,” air quality officials said Wednesday. “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.”

The ban is in effect for the entire Bay Area, including Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, southern Sonoma and southwestern Solano Counties.

“Winter air pollution is mainly caused by particulates or soot pollution from wood smoke,” officials said. “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.”

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.