SCAQMD Issues 'No Burn' Alert for South Bay

Manhattan Beach and the rest of the South Bay are currently under a no-burn alert, according to an email from Sam Atwood of the South Coast Air Quality Management District.

No-burn alerts are declared when fine particulate matter reaches a certain concentration in the air, making it dangerous for certain people who have sensitivities to the matter. Under a no-burn alert, residents are not allowed to burn wood or manufactured fire logs in fireplaces or stoves.

Unlike previous no-burn alerts, Thursday's applies to only the cities in the South Bay, Long Beach and northern parts of Orange County. It will expire at midnight.

The public can 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," according to a press release.

The wood-burning ban exempts homes that rely on wood as a sole source of heat, low-income households and those without natural gas service.