First burn violators get warnings in Bay Area

[Mugu]

By Denis Cuff, Contra Costa Times

The first mandatory no-burn alert in the Bay Area resulted in nine residents getting caught for lighting wood fires.

The Bay Area Air Quality Management District will send warning letters to the violators of the Spare the Air alert, which was in effect from noon Wednesday to noon Thursday. Repeat offenders can be fined hundreds or thousands of dollars.

Six of the nine violators were reported by neighbors, and three were detected by air district inspectors out in the field, said Aaron Richardson, a district spokesman.

Regardless of how a violation is reported, an air district inspector must witness the burning to issue a warning letter or citation.

http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_11036070?">Complete article

Now that we've dealt with the indoor smoking crowd it's time to turn our attention to those that reek havoc on all the rest of us outdoors. Want to make smoke? That's fine as long as you keep it on your property and there's never any children or employees on the property.