The Bay Area Air Quality Management District lifted a winter "Spare the Air" alert Thursday.
The alert, which was issued Tuesday and extended through Wednesday, temporarily banned burning wood or other solid fuel in wood stoves or fireplaces because particulate pollution had reached unhealthy levels in the Bay Area.
Such conditions are especially dangerous for children, the elderly and people with respiratory problems, air district officials said.
Thursday the Bay Area's air quality is forecast to be in the "good" range of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's air quality index.
However, the air district recommends that residents burn only clean, dry wood in short, hot fires with plenty of air in order to keep dirty smoke out of chimneys and flues.
Residents are advised to check for "Spare the Air" alerts each day before burning wood or other materials. This can be done by calling 877-4-NO-BURN or visiting sparetheair.org to sign up for e-mail alerts.
Those interested in receiving phone alerts can call 800-430-1515.
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