Air District Bans Wood Burning Tuesday In Sonoma County, Bay Area

SONOMA COUNTY, CA — The Bay Area Air Quality Management District issued its third Spare The Air Alert of the winter season for Tuesday, which bans the burning of wood, manufactured fire logs or any other solid fuel, both indoors and outdoors in the nine counties that make up the Bay Area, including Sonoma.

Smoke from increased wood burning is expected to cause air quality to be unhealthy with the heaviest impacts in the Santa Clara Valley due to cold overnight temperatures and light winds, according to the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, the regional agency responsible for protecting air quality in the nine-county Bay Area.

A high-pressure system in place over Northern California will act as a lid, trapping smoke at ground level, the air district said Monday in a news release. Offshore winds may also transport air pollution from the Central Valley into the Bay Area.

"Air quality is again expected to be unhealthy on Tuesday as stagnant weather conditions allow wood smoke pollution to accumulate," said Jack Broadbent, executive officer of the Air District. "In the midst of a pandemic, it is more important than ever for residents to protect their respiratory health by not burning wood."

During a Spare The Air alert, it is illegal for Bay Area residents and businesses to use their fireplaces, wood stoves, pellet stoves, outdoor fire pits or any other wood-burning devices because of fine particle pollution. In San Francisco, the National Park Service also prohibits recreational beach fires at Ocean Beach in Golden Gate National Recreation Area through the end of February.

According to the air district, wood smoke, like cigarette smoke, contains carcinogenic substances, such as particulate matter and carbon monoxide, which are harmful when inhaled. Exposure to wood smoke has been linked to serious respiratory illnesses and an increased risk of heart attacks. The fine particulate pollution in wood smoke is especially harmful for children, the elderly and those with respiratory conditions.

Cold temperatures and calm winds trap smoke from household wood burning around homes and increase fine particulate pollution buildup inside and outside residences, according to the air district.

Heating from natural gas, propane or electric fireplaces is allowed during Spare the Air Alerts.

Exemptions are available for homes without permanently installed heating, where wood stoves or fireplaces are the only source of heat. Anyone whose sole source of heat is a wood-burning device must use an EPA-certified or pellet-fueled device that is registered with the Air District to qualify for an exemption. An open-hearth fireplace no longer qualifies for an exemption.

First-time violators of the air district's "Wood Burning Rule" are encouraged to take a wood smoke awareness course to learn more about the health impacts from wood smoke and the weather conditions that lead to unhealthy air quality in the winter. Violators who choose not to take the course will receive a $100 ticket. Second violations are subject to a $500 ticket, with the ticket amount increasing for any subsequent violations.

There are also prohibitions on excessive smoke and burning garbage and other harmful materials like junk mail, plastic, wood pallets and more in fireplaces and wood stoves, according to the air district.