Air Pollution Triggers Wood Burning Ban Today In Trabuco Canyon

TRABUCO CANYON, CA — With overnight temperatures dipping colder, the temptation to throw a log on the fire might be there, but the South Coast Air Quality Management District just says no. Not today.

On Thursday, all indoor and outdoor residential wood burning is prohibited in the South Coast Air Basin Thursday because of high air pollution.The mandatory wood burning ban issued by the South Coast Air Quality Management District applies to everyone living in the South Coast Air Basin, which includes Orange County, non-desert portions of Los Angeles County, Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

The no-burn rules prohibit burning wood and manufactured fire logs, including those made of wax or paper. Gas and other non-wood-burning fireplaces are not affected.

"No burn alerts are mandatory in order to protect public health when levels of fine particulate air pollution in the region are forecast to be high," according to an AQMD statement announcing the ban.

Who doesn't this No Burn Alert apply to?

If you live in a mountain community above 3,000 feet, Riverside County's Coachella Valley, the High Desert, homes that rely on wood as a sole source of heat, low-income households and homes without natural gas service. For more information, visit www.aqmd.gov.

With City News Service; Photo by Jon Asato on Unsplash