Spare the Air Alert Issued for 8th Straight Day, Weather Stays Cool

The fireplace needs to remain cold, at least for one more day, even as East Bay residents shiver in chilly weather.

Another Winter Spare the Air alert has been issued, this one for Sunday.

The Bay Area Air Quality Management District made the announcement on Saturday afternoon, saying the prolonged cold weather is trapping pollutants close the ground and causing unhealthy air.

“This has been a challenging week for air quality with a high pressure system in place that has not allowed fine particulate pollution to disperse,” said Jack Broadbent, executive officer of the air district. “We are asking for the public’s continued cooperation to protect the health of Bay Area residents and reduce pollution from wood burning.”

It will be a record eighth day in a row that an alert has been in effect.

The National Weather Service, meanwhile, forecasts several more days of brisk, sunny days and cool, mostly clear nights, with daytime highs in the low to mid-60s and nighttime lows in the 40s through Tuesday.

Some clouds and even lower temperatures are forecast for the latter part of the week.

The Sunday Spare the Air alert prohibits Bay Area residents from burning wood, manufactured fire logs or any other solid fuel both indoors and outdoors for 24 hours.

First-time violators of the ban are given the option of taking a wood smoke awareness class or paying a $100 fine. Second violations result in a $500 fine and the penalties rise with each violation after that.

It's the 12th Spare the Air alert ordered this winter.