By Wednesday, Bay Area will be under Spare the Air alerts for 30 consecutive days

The Bay Area Air Quality Management District has issued Spare the Air alerts through Wednesday because of wildfire smoke, making it 30 straight days of the alerts ban wood burning in the region.

Wildfires burning around California as well as in Oregon and Washington have sent large amounts of smoke around the Bay Area and kept people mostly indoors to avoid the unhealthy air quality.

Before this summer, the region’s previous record for consecutive Spare the Air alert days was 13 during the 2018 Camp Fire.

On days that the air district issues Spare the Air alerts, it is illegal in the nine-county Bay Area to burn wood or other solid fuels indoors or outdoors.

Residents and visitors are advised to avoid exposure to the smoky conditions by staying inside with windows and doors closed, and to set air conditioning and car vent systems to recirculate air to prevent outside air from moving inside.

According to the air district, the smoke can irritate eyes and airways and those with existing respiratory illnesses are particularly susceptible.

Air quality in the Bay Area is expected to remain unhealthy through most of this week due to smoke from the wildfires along the West Coast, a spokeswoman for the Bay Area Air Quality Management District said Monday.

The Bay Area’s air quality will be unhealthy for all residents on Monday and Tuesday and unhealthy for sensitive groups on Wednesday, air district spokeswoman Kristine Roselius said.

The region may see a modicum of relief on Thursday and Friday but air quality is expected to remain hazy for the foreseeable future, Roselius said.

People can find out when a Spare the Air alert is in effect by visiting sparetheair.org, calling 800-HELP-AIR (4357-247), downloading the Spare the Air smartphone app for iPhone or Android devices or connecting with Spare the Air on Facebook, Twitter or YouTube.