Politics & Government

Fireplaces Banned Again Wednesday in San Clemente

Drop that log!

Better forget about the wood-burning fireplace Wednesday,Β says theΒ South Coast Air Quality Management District.

Wednesday has been declared a no-burn day for residents of Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties. That means residentsΒ are prohibited from burning wood or manufactured fire logs in their fireplaces fromΒ midnight Wednesday to midnight Thursday.Β  Β Β 

No-burn alerts are called when air quality is forecast to be unhealthy due to fine particulate levels known asΒ PM2.5. Β Wood smoke contains hundreds of contaminants including PM2.5, a pollutant linked to increased emergency room visits and hospitalizations, as well as increased risk of heart attacks and early deaths.

Mountain communities above 3,000 feet in elevation are exempt from the program, as are homes that rely on wood as a sole source of heat, low-income households and those without natural gas service.

Click here for today’s top stories from San Clemente Patch.

Stay Patched in!Β Like San Clemente PatchΒ on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter and Sign up for theΒ daily emailΒ with links to the latest local news.

Find out what's happening in San Clementefor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.