“No Burn Alert” – No Fireplace Fires Today, Please

Our cool evenings and the holiday season may make fireplace fires appealing this week, but starting at midnight last night, and lasting until midnight tonight, the Southcoast Air Quality Management District has issued a “No Burn” alert for LA County, Orange County and the Inland Empire.  The alert prohibits residents from burning wood or manufactured fire logs in a fireplace during the specified hours. (Natural gas logs are exempt from the ban.)

“We have a weather pattern that is causing air pollution to be trapped fairly low to the ground and when this happens we want to take steps to ensure that the particle pollution levels don’t become even more unhealthy and one of the ways to do this is asking residents not to burn wood,” Sam Atwood of South Coast AQMD told KPCC radio yesterday.  Atwood said the bans are usually issued for 24-hour periods, but if weather patterns persist, may be extended for additional days.

Please note that complaints of ban violations can result in citations.  A first time penalty for burning is $50 or taking a smoke awareness class online or via mail.