Wood-Burning Fireplaces Prohibited Friday in San Juan Capistrano

By Peter Schelden 

Planning on greeting the weekend by relaxing in front of your wood-burning fireplace Friday? Better think again, says the South Coast Air Quality Management District.

Friday has been declared a no-burn day for residents of Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties. That means residents are prohibited from burning wood or manufactured fire logs in their fireplaces from midnight Thursday to midnight Friday.    

• Not sure if you can light your fireplace? Enter your zip code here to find out.

No-burn alerts are called when air quality is forecast to be unhealthy because of fine particulate levels known as 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.

Mountain communities above 3,000 feet in elevation are exempt from the program, as are homes that rely on wood as a sole source of heat, low-income households and those without natural gas service.

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