The Bay Area Air Quality Management District has issued a ban on burning wood, manufactured fire logs or any other solid fuel both inside, and outside for 24 hours KTVU reported Tuesday.
"We want everyone to enjoy their holiday this week, but unfortunately, weather conditions are causing unhealthy, muddy air again," Jack Broadbent, executive officer of the Bay Area Air District told KTVU. "Air is forecast to be extremely unhealthy this week so it is imperative that residents protect air quality and not burn in their indoor or outdoor fireplaces."
The ban has been instituted because smoke from wood has particles, and carcinogenic substances that are not healthy to breathe in KTVU reported.
The news station also reported can also greatly affect children, the elderly, and individuals who have trouble breathing.
Those who do not abide by the rules the first time can take a wood smoke awareness class through the internet or regular snail mail in order to become educated about how dangerous smoke is rather than receiving a $100 ticket.
Five-hundred dollar tickets will be given to those who don't follow the rules a second time. Ticket times will increase for each further offense.
Residents of the Bay Area are not allowed to utilize their fireplaces, woodstoves, pellet stoves, any outdoor fire pits they may have, or anything else they have that can be used to disinegrate wood during the temporary ban KTVU reported.
There is still a large weather system throughout the area since one from last week passed through, which would cause bad amounts of pollution according to information from air officials KTVU reported.
"The weather forecast looks like we might see another Spare the Air day for Christmas Day," air district spokesman Tom Flannigan told the Los Gatos Patch Monday before the decision was made to implement the safety measure.
