Bay Area Issues Spare the Air Alert. Following the Bay Area Air Quality Management District’s first Spare the Air Alert of the winter season on Saturday, wood-burning fires and devices will not be allowed in the Bay Area today.
It is prohibited to burn wood, manufactured fire logs, or any other solid fuel both indoors and outdoors.
The district includes parts of Solano and Sonoma counties as well as the nine Bay Area counties of Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara.
Increased burning, sluggish breezes, and freezing overnight temperatures, according to the Air District, will trap smoke in the region while a high-pressure system passes over Northern California, forming an atmospheric lid.
According to the National Weather Service, the Bay Area will see temperatures that typically fall into the 40s overnight on Sunday and Monday, with wind speeds expected to be less than 5 mph.
According to the Air District, unhealthy air may also be transported from the Central Valley to the Bay Area by offshore winds.
For those who rely only on a wood-burning stove for warmth, there are exemptions available; however, the stove needs to be registered with the Air Quality Management District. This also applies to open fireplaces.
According to the Air District, using outdoor fire pits, wood stoves, pellet stoves, fireplaces, or any other wood-burning equipment during a Spare the Air Alert is prohibited.
The Air District claims that wood smoke lingers in residential areas because it includes toxins that are exacerbated by light winds and cold temperatures.
