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Residential No-Burn Alert Declared for Major Portions of
Inland Empire Tomorrow
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February 5, 2013
Residents Directed Not to Burn Wood in Affected
Areas
Residents in major portions of the Inland Empire are not permitted to
burn wood in their fireplaces tomorrow due to unhealthy air quality forecast
by South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD).
Under AQMD’s Check Before You Burn program, residents in the affected areas
only are prohibited from burning wood or manufactured fire logs in their
fireplaces or outdoor fire pits from midnight tonight until midnight
tomorrow.
The affected area encompasses Chino Hills and Montclair to the west, Corona
to the south, Riverside and San Bernardino to the east and the foothills of
the San Bernardino Mountains to the north.
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 AQMD’s
24-hour Check Before You Burn toll-free line at (866) 966-3293.
Clean-burning natural gas-fueled fireplaces are exempt from AQMD’s no-burn
alerts. AQMD offers a discount of up to $125 at participating retailers
toward the purchase and professional installation of gas log sets. See
www.healthyhearths.org for
details on the incentive program.
AQMD’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. 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.
Check Before You Burn alerts are called when air quality is predicted to be
in the Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups range or higher due to fine
particulate levels. This occurs when PM2.5 levels are forecast to be higher
than 35 micrograms per cubic meter during a 24-hour average.
The program applies to residents of the South Coast Air Basin, which
includes all of Orange County and the non-desert portions of Los Angeles,
Riverside and San Bernardino counties. Mountain communities above 3,000 feet
in elevation are exempt, as are homes that rely on wood as a sole source of
heat, low-income households and those without natural gas service.
Residents who burn wood in their fireplaces when a no-burn alert has been
issued could, for a first time violator, be fined $50 or attend a wood smoke
awareness course in lieu of a fine. For a second violation, the fine
increases to $150 or a resident may install a dedicated gas-fueled
fireplace. Third time violators will receive a $500 fine or may fund a
project that will benefit the environment. Multiple violations are accrued
only if they occur during a single wood-burning season, November through
February. To report a suspected violation, residents may call 1-800-CUT-SMOG
(1-800-288-7664) or visit www.aqmd.gov.
For further information on Check Before You Burn and alternatives to wood
burning, see www.healthyhearths.org.
AQMD is the air pollution control agency for Orange County and major
portions of Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Riverside counties.
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This page updated:
February 05, 2013
URL: http://www.aqmd.gov/news1/2013/CBYB020514.htm
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