No-Burn Day In Effect Tuesday In Calabasas

CALABASAS, CA — The South Coast Air Quality Management District has issued a residential No Burn Day Alert from midnight through 11:59 p.m. Tuesday. The order bans indoor or outdoor wood-burning in the South Coast Air Basin, which includes Orange County and non-desert portions of Los Angeles, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties.

Check the SCAQMD's website for a map of affected communities. The order does not apply to mountain communities above 3,000 feet in elevation, the Coachella Valley or High Desert.

No Burn Day alerts go into effect when levels of fine particulate air pollution in the region are forecast to be high. Fine particles in wood smoke, also known as particulate matter or PM2.5, can get deep into the lungs and cause respiratory problems such as asthma.

The no burn rule prohibits burning wood and manufactured fire logs, such as those made from wax and paper. Penalties for violating a wood-burning ban are completion of a wood smoke awareness course or $50 the first time, $150 or proof of installing a gas fireplace the second time and $500 the third time, according to AQMD Rule 445.

The AQMD said that no burn rules will be common from November until through the end of February, and urged residents to check this map before burning anything.

— City News Service and Patch staffer Michael Wittner contributed to this report.