SEAL BEACH, CA — We hate to put a damper on your weekend, Seal Beach, but authorities placed a mandatory no-burn order Tuesday in Orange County.
The order, placed by the South Coast Management District, prohibits indoor and outdoor wood burning due to a forecast of high pollution in the area. It is not currently known whether the order will continue into the week.
The wood-burning ban will be in effect through 11:59 p.m. Saturday for all those in the South Coast Air Basin, including the non-desert portions of Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino and the whole of Orange County.
However, the order does not apply to mountain communities above 3,000 feet, the Coachella Valley or the high desert. Homes that rely on wood as a sole source of heat, low-income households and households without natural gas service are also not included in the order.
The no-burn rule prohibit burning wood as well as manufactured fire logs made from wax or paper.
Gas and other non-wood burning fireplaces are not restricted, the SCAQMD said.