No-burn alert extended for Southern California communities

Much of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties are under a no-burn alert until midnight Friday.

Initially, the alert was set to expire on Wednesday at 11:59 p.m.

The advisory bans the burning of wood, pellets, and manufactured fire logs, both inside and outside. It also bans charcoal except in cooking devices. 

The no-burn alert is in effect for most of Southern California except for the High Desert, Coachella Valley and areas above 3,000 feet in elevation. 

Homes that rely on wood as their sole source of heat and those without natural gas service are exempt from the ban. If there is a temporary electrical or gas outage, residents can burn wood. 

The South Coast Air Quality Management District said no-burn alerts are issued to protect public health when levels of fine particle pollution or ozone are forecasted to be high anywhere in the South Coast Basin. Smoke particles can get deep into the lungs and cause health problems, including asthma attacks, and increase emergency room visits and hospitalizations, according to the AQMD. 

AQMD has issued 14 no-burn day alerts through the 2025-2026 season. 

The program is in effect from September to April for ozone and from November through the end of February for fine particle pollution. 

 Check AQMD's website for the latest forecasted air quality levels.