Record 5th Consecutive Spare the Air Alert called for Thursday

The Bay Area Air Quality Management District is issuing the season’s ninth Winter Spare the Air Alert for Thursday, Dec. 12, which bans the burning of wood, manufactured fire logs or any other solid fuel both indoors and outdoors for 24 hours.

Cold, stagnant weather is continuing to persist in the Bay Area, causing the Air District to call a record fifth consecutive Winter Spare the Air Alert.  Hazardous fine particulate pollution will be trapped close to the ground and is forecast to build up again to unhealthy levels on Thursday. A fire at a warehouse in Concord Wednesday morning has caused additional localized smoke impacts in the East Bay.

“This stagnant weather pattern continues but we are pleased residents are abiding by the burn ban to help protect Bay Area air quality,” said Jack Broadbent, executive officer of the Air District. “The fine particulate pollution in wood smoke is as hazardous as cigarette smoke and is the number one air-pollution-related health concern in the region.”

It is illegal for Bay Area residents and businesses to use their fireplaces, woodstoves, pellet stoves, outdoor fire pits or any other wood-burning devices during a Winter Spare the Air Alert. Homes without permanently installed heating, where woodstoves or fireplaces are the only source of heat, are exempt.

First-time violators will be given the option of taking a wood smoke awareness class, online or by mail, to learn about the hazards of wood smoke pollution in lieu of paying a $100 ticket. Second violations will result in a $500 ticket, and subsequent ticket amounts will be higher.

The public must check before they burn during the Winter Spare the Air season, which runs from November 1 through February 28. The daily burn status can be found:

• On the Air District Web sites: www.baaqmd.gov orwww.sparetheair.org
• Via the toll-free hotline 1-877-4-NO-BURN (complaints can also be filed via the hotline)
• By signing up for AirAlerts at www.sparetheair.org or phone alerts at1-800-430-1515
• Via the Spare the Air iPhone and Android Apps

In the winter, wood smoke from the 1.4 million fireplaces and wood stoves in the Bay Area is the single largest source of air pollution, contributing about one-third of the harmful fine particulate pollution in the air. Exposure to wood smoke—like cigarette smoke—has been linked to serious respiratory illnesses and even increased risk of heart attacks. Breathing fine particles accounts for more than 90 percent of premature deaths related to air pollution.

The Bay Area Air Quality Management District (www.baaqmd.gov) is the regional agency responsible for protecting air quality in the nine-county Bay Area.