The Bay Area Air Quality Management District has issued a "Winter Spare the Air" alert for November 25-26, in the San Francisco Bay Area. The "Winter Spare the Air" season runs from November 1, 2013, through February 28, 2014.
During a "Winter Spare the Air" alert, it is illegal for Bay Area residents to burn wood or other solid fuels in fireplaces, wood stoves and inserts, pellet stoves, outdoor fire-pits, or other wood-burning devices. This wood-burning ban will be in effect for Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, southern Sonoma and southwestern Solano Counties.
Winter air pollution is mainly caused by particulates or soot pollution from wood smoke. Smoke from wood-burning fires is linked to illnesses such as asthma, bronchitis, and lung disease, and is especially harmful for children and the elderly.
For more information about the Wood Burning Rule, or to check before you burn, visit www.sparetheair.org or call 1-877-4NO-BURN.