Wood-burning ban extended

Southern California air quality regulators extended a ban on wood burning to Friday, its third straight day.

Residents in Orange County and surrounding communities are barred from lighting up fire places, fire rings or stoves fueled by wood until midnight Friday, the South Coast Air Quality Management District announced Thursday.

The AQMD issues these 24-hour “no-burn alerts” when it forecasts that fine particles in the air will reach unsafe levels.

It’s not atypical for the burning bans to extend days at a time during the winter, AQMD spokesman Sam Atwood said.

Often, weather is the culprit.

“It really is a function of the meteorology, and when we get a strong onshore flow, that tends to cap pollutants close to the ground,” Atwood said.

Those pollutants are tiny particles sent into the air from burning fuel, according to Atwood.

Although they’re not the only cause, fireplaces and bonfires are a major source of the pollution, Atwood explained.

“If you think about it, it’s simply open burning,” he said.

Putting a stop to wood fires is an immediate way to help keep air quality from worsening while Southern California waits for less stagnant weather, according to the AQMD.

Manufactured logs and other solid fuels are also prohibited during a no-burn alert, but fireplaces or other appliances that burn gas are allowed.

Anyone violating the no-burn rule can be issued a $50 fine for a first-time offense, and that cost can balloon to $500 for repeat offenders, according to AQMD rules.

However, Atwood said although regulators have investigated dozens of complaints, he believes they have never issued a penalty.

“At this point we are encouraging and hoping for voluntary compliance,” he said.