What Is A "No-Burn" Day?

Your wood-burning fireplace is no friend to the "Brown Cloud" - pollution - that hangs over the Valley of the Sun. 

According to the Maricopa County Parks and Recreation Department: "When air pollution levels are on the rise and weather conditions create dry, stagnant air, the Maricopa County Air Quality Department and/or Arizona Department of Environmental Quality will issue a “No Burn Day.” Restrictions last for a 24-hour period, starting at midnight, and include a ban on wood burning activity including fireplaces, fire pits or open outdoor fires. Depending on the status of air quality, restrictions will change, so be sure to take note of the differences. “High Pollution Advisory,” or “HPA,” means the highest concentration of pollution may exceed the federal health standard."

The smoke that your beautiful wood fire sends up the chimney contains carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and tiny dust particles that can penetrate the lungs, irritate the eyes, nose and throat, and aggravate asthma and other respiratory diseases. 

That dirty smoke contributes to the pollution that causes the Brown Cloud - that haze that hovers over the valley - and caused Maricopa County to earn the American Lung Association’s lowest rating for air quality in 2005. 

On the worst days, Maricopa County and parts of Pinal County declare “no-burn days,” when it’s illegal to burn wood in your home’s fireplace. Pima County asks residents to voluntarily limit their wood fires. 

It’s OK to burn gas logs in your fireplace on no-burn days.

No-burn days usually come between October and February, when the pollutants get trapped close to the ground on cool overnights, and produce a visible haze as they rise during the day when the desert floor heats up.

You’ll know when it’s a no-burn day if you tune into the news on TV or radio. You can also check the Air Quality Hourly Forecast on the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality website or MaricopaCounty.gov.

For residential individuals, if you get caught burning wood on a no-burn day, after your first offence which will usually bring you a warning, you could pay anywhere between a $50 - $250 fine each time after that. In Maricopa County: 

• "Fines for improper burning in fireplaces, chimineas, and woodstoves at residential locations, under Ordinance P-26, range from $50 – $250 depending on the number of violations issued to the individual."
• "The minimum fine for an illegal outdoor fire under Rule 314 is $200. Higher fines may be assessed depending on purpose of the fire, the type and amount of material burned, and other factors associated with the violation."

Wood-burning fireplaces aren’t the only dirty-air culprit, of course; the valley’s rapid growth has drawn more cars, construction-related dust, power plants, gas lawn-mowers, leaf blowers and other polluters that also contribute to the hovering Brown Cloud.

Avoiding wood fires is just one way you can help curb pollution on no-burn days - and every day.

Other clean-air strategies include:

• Switch from gas to electric powered lawn equipment.
  • Participate in Maricopa County's Mowing Down Pollution Program
• Convert your wood burning fireplace to a gas fireplace.
  • Participate in Maricopa County's Fireplace Retrofit Program
• Give your leaf blower a rest. It stirs up dirt and dust that hang in the air.
• Carpool, take the bus, or if your company allows, work from home instead of driving.
• Change your car’s oil every 3,000 miles or so.  

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Photo Credit

• Shutterstock

Related Resources

• Pima County
• Pinal County
• Maricopa County
• Maricopa County Parks and Recreation Department
• Arizona Department of Environmental Quality
• Clean Air Make More