Bay Area Winter Spare the Air Alert in place for Monday
Spare the Air
OAKLAND, Calif. (BCN) - A Winter Spare the Air Alert is in place for Monday, air quality officials announced Sunday. The alert bans burning wood, manufactured fire logs or any other solid fuel, indoors or outdoors, for 24 hours.
Light winds and cold temperatures overnight are expected to trap wood smoke close to the ground, creating unhealthy air quality, according to the Bay Area Air Quality Management District.
During the alert, Bay Area residents and businesses are banned from using fireplaces, pellet stoves, outdoor fire pits or any other wood-burning devices.
First-time violators will be given the option to take a wood smoke-awareness class in lieu of paying a $100 fine. Fines will increase with consecutive violations, according to officials.
The winter Spare the Air season runs from Nov. 1 to Feb. 28. Residents can check for alerts at sparetheair.org or baaqmd.gov.
For more information or to sign up for alerts, go to sparetheair.org.