SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — A Winter Spare the Air alert has been issued for Friday by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District because of poor air quality expected in the region, air district officials said.
The alert was issued because cold weather and light wind conditions are allowing air pollution to build up to unhealthy levels, according to the air district.
On Winter Spare the Air days, Bay Area residents are not allowed to burn wood outdoors or indoors unless a woodstove or fireplace is a home’s only source of heat, according to the air district.
Wood smoke consists of fine particles and carcinogenic materials that are a major source of air pollution in the region and can be particularly harmful to children, the elderly and those with respiratory illnesses.
Friday’s alert is the seventh issued in the two months since the Winter Spare the Air season started on Nov. 1.
People who violate the wood burning ban will be required to take a wood smoke awareness class or pay a $100 fine, air district officials said.
Anyone looking for whether a Spare the Air alert has been issued can visit www.baaqmd.gov or www.sparetheair.org, call (877) 4-NO-BURN or use Spare the Air apps available on iPhone and Android devices.
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