Air Quality District Issues Spare the Air Alert Last Saturday

The Bay Area Air Quality Management District on Friday issued a Spare the Air Alert for the entire Bay Area for Saturday. Burning wood or any other solid fuel, such as manufactured fire logs, is prohibited for 24 hours both indoors and outdoors, air district officials said. 

“Air pollution from wood smoke is one of the greatest health threats to Bay Area residents during the winter months,” BAAQMD Executive Officer Jack Broadbent said in a statement. “Just one burning fireplace can create unhealthy air for an entire neighborhood.” 

Using fireplaces, wood stoves, pellet stoves, outdoor fire pits or any other device that burns wood is illegal during a Spare the Air Alert, air district officials said. First-time violators will be fined $100 or they must take a wood smoke awareness class. A second violation results in a $500 fine and the fines for subsequent violations are more.

Homes with wood stoves or fireplaces as the only source of heat are exempt until Nov. 1 when the wood-burning device must be Environmental Protection Agency certified and registered with the air district, according to air district officials.

Residents must check for Spare the Air Alerts before burning at www.baaqmd.gov or www.sparetheair.org or at (877) 4-NO-BURN. Residents can also check by signing up for AirAlerts at www.sparetheair.org or for phone alerts at (800) 430-1515. Residents can also check on apps for iPhone and Android phones.

Transit Service on J Church Line Returns to Normal

Transit service on the J Church Line in San Francisco returned to normal Saturday evening after crews repaired a sewer main and filled a sinkhole, San Francisco Municipal Railway officials said. Muni officials said at 5:46 p.m. that service on the J Church Line had returned to normal.

The tracks for the line were replaced and the broken main did not cause anyone to lose sewer service, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission officials said. The officials said the cause of the sewer main failure cannot be determined. The 3 by 3 by 10-foot sinkhole on Church Street between 24th and Jersey streets was reported Thursday morning. 

Crews excavated the area around the sewer main Thursday but could not make repairs until some necessary safety equipment became available Saturday. Vehicular traffic resumed Thursday evening after crews cordoned off the excavated area and covered it with metal plates, public utilities officials said. 

No Bomb Found After Threat at Bart’s Civic Center Station

BART police received a call Saturday evening from San Francisco police reporting a bomb threat at the Civic Center station, a BART police officer said. BART police received the call at 5:18 p.m., BART police Lt. Steve Coontz said. Police searched the station and did not find a bomb, Coontz said. BART officials reported police activity at the station at 5:40 p.m. and said trains were running through the station without stopping.

Weather

Today will see rain in the morning and rain likely in the afternoon. Highs will be in the mid 50s and northeast winds will reach 5 to 10 miles per hour, becoming southeast winds reaching 10 to 20 mph in the afternoon. Tonight will see rain, with a slight chance of thunderstorms after midnight. Lows will be in the lower 50s and south winds will reach 10 to 20 mph. 

Tuesday will see rain in the morning with a slight chance of thunderstorms. Showers are likely in the afternoon. Highs will be in the mid 50s and west winds will reach 10 to 20 mph.