No burning of wood and fire logs in S.F. Bay Area on December 25th

[Auggie]

A Winter Spare the Air Alert has been called for Friday, December 25th

Air quality in the Bay Area is forecast to be unhealthy. The use of any and all wood-burning devices including fireplaces, wood stoves and inserts, pellet stoves and outdoor fire-pits is illegal. 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.

Wood smoke is the largest source of wintertime air pollution in the Bay Area. When there is no wind to disperse pollutants from smoke, they become trapped close to the ground and can build up to unhealthy levels, making it difficult for people with asthma and other respiratory conditions to breathe.

For more information about the Wood Burning Rule, or to check before you burn, visit www.sparetheair.org or call 1-877-4-NO-BURN.

[Betsy Ross]

1. Thanks for posting

We'll wait for rain before considering a fire. Haven't used the fireplace in a year, but may get the urge.

[Auggie]

4. I really wanted to slip a log in this morning...

but didn't.

[Ernesto]

2. I'm burnin'........... It's how I stay alive! nt

[livetoride]

3. such bulls_it.. Dicatorial social control from Sacramento..

It's so god damn invasive and over bearing. No fires on Thanksgiving, no fires on Christmas, and no legitimate reason for it. Screw them.

[roody]

5. Is breathing a legitimate reason?

I wish my municipality would ban it. I voluntarily gave it up.

[CreekDog]

6. It's not from Sacramento, it's from Van Ness Ave. in San Francisco

and it's to protect public health from air pollution.

there are burn bans in Phoenix, Denver and many other cities --most of those bans older than the one in the Bay Area.

wood smoke from fireplaces is a major air pollution problem in the wintertime here and when air is predicted to rise above standards to protect the public, the "no burn" is implemented for a day or two or three.

please stop with the uninformed screeds when the truth is easily available to anybody who asks about this.

[Sequoia]

7. ....and at the end of the day it wasn't necessary at all.

Bunch of Scrooges who won't let me burn my dang Yule Log! Just watch it on TV without the scent.

[Auggie]

8. It's a preventative measure

I've seen it pretty bad in the S.F. Peninsula -- Palo Alto, Mountain View, Santa Clara, San Jose -- during past Christmases, long before Spare-the-Air days came along. I think you can count on this being an annual event since the demand for log fires peaks on December 25th and January 1st.