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Wood-burning ban extended through Sunday for South Coast region

LOS ANGELES, CA, WEDNESDAY MARCH 25, 2020 - Aerial views of Los Angeles in the time of Coronavirus. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
Concerns over air pollution prompted the South Coast Air Quality Management District to extend a residential no-burn order through Sunday. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Concerns about increased air pollution over the region has prompted the South Coast Air Quality Management District to extend a mandatory ban on wood burning through Sunday.

The ban initially took effect Saturday morning and was expected to expire just before midnight, officials said. The order has now been extended until 11:59 p.m. Sunday.

The order was extended "due to a forecast of high air pollution in the area," the district said in a news release.

The ban covers the non-desert regions of Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties and most of Orange County and prohibits outdoor and residential burning of wood and manufactured logs.

"Smoke from wood burning can cause health problems," the district said. "Particles in wood smoke — also known as fine particulate matter or PM2.5 — can get deep into the lungs and cause respiratory problems (including asthma attacks), increases in emergency room visits and hospitalizations."

Low-income households, homes that rely solely on wood-burning for heat and communities above 3,000 feet are exempt from the ban.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.