It's Back! Spare the Air Issued for Monday

The sixteenth Winter Spare the Air alert has been issued, this one for Monday.

The Bay Area Air Quality Management District made the announcement on Sunday afternoon, saying that a high pressure system is moving into the region.

"The Bay Area Air District is once again caught in a stagnant pattern, and fine particulate pollution is expected to rise to unhealthy levels throughout the region," said Jack Broadbent, executive officer of the Bay Area Air District. "Dry weather is forecast for the week and threatens to cause high levels of pollution to build up through the Christmas holiday.  It is important for residents to refrain from burning wood and further contributing to the unhealthy air that will plague our region."

The 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.