Bay Area Smog Alert: Wood Burning Banned

Atmospheric conditions in the Bay Area have led air quality regulators to declare a Spare the Air alert for Thursday, prohibiting all wood and solid fuel burning. A high-pressure system is currently trapping pollution near the ground, and prevailing winds may carry additional pollutants from the Central Valley.

During this alert, residents and businesses are forbidden from burning wood, manufactured logs, or other solid fuels, both indoors and outdoors. Exemptions exist for homes relying solely on wood or pellet stoves as their primary heat source, provided the devices are EPA-certified or registered with the district. Open-hearth fireplaces no longer qualify for any exemptions.

Violators will face penalties, starting with a $100 ticket for first-time offenses, which can be waived by completing a wood smoke awareness course. Subsequent violations incur higher fines, beginning at $500 and increasing thereafter. Residential wood smoke is a known contributor to serious health issues, including respiratory problems and cardiovascular events, and is estimated to cause between 94 and 210 premature deaths in the Bay Area each year.

This alert follows a recent change by the Air District in October, which lowered the threshold for issuing Spare the Air alerts. This adjustment is expected to increase the frequency of such alerts from an average of 15 per year to an estimated 19 to 41. Meanwhile, separate restrictions are in place at Ocean Beach in San Francisco, where recreational beach fires are prohibited through the end of February.