“No Burn Days” are Back…and Today is One of Them

Yes, it’s that time of year again…when our weather is cool enough in the evening to finally contemplate curling up in front of a cozy fire.  But if you have a wood-burning fireplace, firepit, or wood stove, it’s also time again to remember the South Coast Air Quality Management District’s “No Burn Alerts,” which ban wood fires on days when “when emissions and stagnant weather conditions raise fine particulate pollution to unhealthy levels” — in other words, on days when air quality is already poor.

The alerts are issued between November 1 and the end of February…and as it happens, today is not just the third day of the alert period this year, but it’s also one of the SCAQMD’s first official “No Burn Days” of the season.  So as much as you might want the soothing comfort of a nice cozy fire amid all the election hoopla tonight, please refrain.

To find out more about No Burn Days, or to receive notifications when the burning ban is in effect, the SCAQMD website offers three options:

• An E-Mail Notification Program where you can sign up to receive air quality alerts and be be notified when a mandatory No-Burn alert has been issued for your neighborhood.
• A Check Before You Burn Map  that provides daily forecast and alert information.
• And a toll-Free Phone Number – (866) 966-3293 – you can call for daily Check Before You Burn information.