The Bay Area Air Quality Management has issued Winter Spare the Air Alerts banning the burning of wood, manufactured fire logs or any other solid fuels indoors or outdoors on both Wednesday and Thursday, the sixth and seventh consecutive days such alerts have been issued.
High barometric pressure is expected to keep hazy skies and dry, calm weather in the Bay Area, causing pollution to build up throughout the region.
Smoke from the wildfires in Southern California is not a factor, however, since it's currently offshore and moving out of the area, driven by northerly winds.
During Spare the Air Alerts, it's illegal for Bay Area residents to use fireplaces, wood stoves or even outdoor fire pits. There are exemptions for homes where fireplaces and wood stoves are the only form of heat installed, but only if they're using a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-certified wood burning device that's been registered with the district.
First-time violators will be subject to a $100 fine, but they can also opt into a wood smoke awareness class. The second violation leads to a $500 fine and subsequent fines become more substantial.
