LOS ANGELES (CNS). The South Coast Air Quality Management District has prohibited indoor and outdoor wood burning in large parts of the Southland from Sunday night to avoid high levels of air pollution.
The residential wood-burning ban will be in effect until Sunday at 11:59 p.m. It applies to all residents of the South Coast Air Basin, which includes the non-desert areas of Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Orange counties.
The order is not applicable to mountain communities higher than 3,000 feet, Coachella Valley and the high desert. The requirement does not apply to homes that rely solely on wood for heat, low-income households, and those without natural gas service.
The no-burn policy prohibits burning wood and manufactured fire logs made from wax and paper. According to the SCAQMD, gas and other nonwood-burning fireplaces are not prohibited.
Fine particles in wood smoke, also called particulate matter or pm2.5, can reach the lungs and cause respiratory problems like asthma.
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