Residents living in the greater Los Angeles metropolitan area, Orange County and the
Inland Empire are not permitted to burn wood in their fireplaces today and tomorrow,
Wednesday, January 29 and Thursday, January 30, 2014, due to elevated fine particulate levels
predicted by the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD).
Residents in these areas are prohibited from burning wood or manufactured fire logs in
their fireplaces from midnight to midnight on both Wednesday and Thursday.
SCAQMD’s no-burn alerts do not apply to mountain communities above 3,000 feet in
elevation, the Coachella Valley and the High Desert. Homes that rely on wood as a sole source
of heat, low-income households and those without natural gas service also are exempt from the
requirement.
On a no-burn day, residents can enter their ZIP code at www.aqmd.gov to see if they live
in an affected area. They can also sign up for daily reports on air quality and Check Before You
Burn alerts at www.airalerts.org or call SCAQMD’s 24-hour Check Before You Burn toll-free
line at (866) 966-3293.
SCAQMD’s Check Before You Burn program, in effect each winter from Nov. 1 to the
end of February, is designed to protect public health by minimizing harmful wood smoke from
residential wood burning. No-burn alerts are called when air quality is forecast to be elevated
due to fine particulate levels (PM2.5). Wood smoke contains hundreds of contaminants
including PM2.5, a pollutant linked to increased emergency room visits and hospitalizations, as
well as increased risk of heart attacks and early deaths.
For further information on Check Before You Burn and alternatives to wood burning, see
www.healthyhearths.org.
SCAQMD is the air pollution control agency for Orange County and major portions of
Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Riverside counties.