AQMD Issues No Burn Alert For Friday In Palos Verdes

PALOS VERDES, CA — Palos Verdes Peninsula residents in the South Coast Air Quality Management District will be prohibited from indoor and outdoor wood burning Friday due to a forecast of high air pollution in the area.

The mandatory wood-burning ban is in effect through 11:59 p.m. Friday in the South Coast Air Basin, including Orange County and the non-desert portions of Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

"South Coast AQMD reminds residents in these areas that burning wood in their fireplaces or any indoor or outdoor wood-burning device is prohibited during the mandatory wood-burning ban," the AQMD noted in a statement. "The no-burn rule prohibits burning wood as well as manufactured fire logs, such as those made from wax or paper."

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.

No Burn Alerts do not apply to mountain communities above 3,000 feet elevation, the Coachella Valley or the High Desert or to homes that rely on wood as a sole source of heat, low-income households and those without natural gas service. The restriction does not apply to gas and other non-wood burning fireplaces.

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.

"November marks the start of South Coast AQMD’s annual Check Before You Burn season," according to AQMD's website. "From November through the end of February, residents are asked to check before burning wood in their fireplaces to limit emissions of fine particulate matter."

#CheckBeforeYouBurn: Friday, November 20th is a No-Burn Day: https://t.co/Y158Op74tv.

Find out more about our No-Burn program at https://t.co/Q46dBQwAzI and sign up for alerts at https://t.co/lyxsiZyT4O. pic.twitter.com/rEXgiZEdhJ
— South Coast AQMD (@SouthCoastAQMD) November 19, 2020

- City News Service and Patch Editor Nicole Charky contributed to this report.