26 Nov Bay Area Under Spare the Air Alert Until Thanksgivig Day; Wood Burning Banned

(Bay Area Air District via Bay City News)

By Bay City News

The Bay Area Air Quality Management District has issued Spare the Air Alerts for this Wednesday and Thanksgiving Day, marking the region’s first bans on wood burning this season.

The alerts prohibit the use of all wood-burning devices, including fireplaces, wood stoves, pellet stoves, manufactured fire logs, and fire pits — both indoors and outdoors — as pollution levels are expected to rise.

The district officials say a combination of increased holiday wood burning, cold overnight temperatures, and light winds will trap smoke close to the ground. High pressure over Northern California will act like a lid, and offshore winds may push additional pollution from the Central Valley into the Bay Area.

The district warns that wood smoke contains carcinogens and fine particulate pollution similar to cigarette or wildfire smoke. These particles can worsen asthma, trigger heart attacks, and increase long-term cancer risk, especially for children, older adults, and people with respiratory conditions.

Homes that rely solely on a wood-burning device for heat may qualify for an exemption, but only if the device is an EPA-certified or pellet-fueled heater registered with the Air District. Open-hearth fireplaces no longer qualify. Natural gas, propane and electric fireplaces are allowed during the alert.

Spare the Air Alerts for fine particle pollution can now be issued up to three days in advance. In San Francisco, the National Park Service is also banning recreational fires at Ocean Beach through February.

The Air District, which oversees air quality in the nine-county Bay Area, lowered its wood-burning threshold on Oct. 1, reducing the trigger for an alert from 35 to 25 micrograms per cubic meter of fine particulate matter. District officials say the stricter standard will help protect vulnerable residents by calling alerts earlier and more often.

Penalties for violating the Wood Burning Rule include a mandatory awareness class or a $100 ticket for first-time violations, and $500 fines for second offenses, with higher penalties for additional violations. Burning garbage, plastics, junk mail, or pallets is also prohibited.

Residents can check whether a Spare the Air Alert is in effect by visiting www.sparetheair.org, calling (877) 466-2876, signing up for text or email alerts, or downloading the Spare the Air mobile app.

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