For those who heat with wood, please remember that it is always illegal to produce excess chimney smoke and to smoke out your neighbor. You know you are burning properly when you do not see any smoke coming from your chimney.  “We want to thank those citizens who have complied with the recent burn bans and ask that when they do burn, that they use only dry, seasoned firewood and follow clean burning practices.” said Robert Elliott, Executive Director of the Southwest Clean Air Agency.  For more information about cleaner wood burning techniques, and to sign up for our email notification list please visit www.swcleanair.org/burnclean.html.

 As of Tuesday at 4:00 p.m., in areas of Clark County where burning has not been permanently banned, outdoor burning will again be allowed with the proper permits. However, burning at any time adds to the air pollution levels in your local community, and residents are encouraged to seek alternatives to burning throughout the year. When outdoor burning does take place please note that only natural vegetation may be burned and a smoke nuisance may not be caused.  State law prohibits the burning of garbage, home-repair debris, and other prohibited materials at any time. Burn barrels of any kind are also prohibited by state law.

All outdoor burning is also prohibited during this Stage 1 Burn Ban, which will remain in place until further notice. If air quality continues to deteriorate, this Burn Ban may have to be upgraded to a Stage 2, which would prohibit all wood burning, including fireplaces, certified wood stoves, inserts and pellet stoves. If wood burning is your only adequate source of heat, you are exempt and we ask that you burn as clean as possible.

These curtailments occur in two progressive stages as needed: Stage 1: The use of all fireplaces and uncertified wood stoves and inserts is banned when pollution is forecasted to reach unhealthy levels. Uncertified units are typically older than 1990 and lack a certification label on the back of the unit. Stage 2: All wood heating is prohibited, including certified units, when the Stage 1 curtailment has not reversed the increasing pollution trend and weather conditions still indicate a high risk for exceeding air quality health standards.