A ban on indoor and outdoor wood burning was in place Tuesday and continuing through Wednesday in much of Southern California due to a forecast of high air pollution in the area. The residential wood-burning ban will be in effect until at least 11:59 p.m. Wednesday for all those in the South Coast Air Basin, including the non-desert portions of Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties, and all of Orange County. The order does not apply to mountain communities above 3,000 feet, the Coachella Valley or the high desert, according to the South Coast Air Quality Management District. Homes that rely on wood as a sole source of heat, low-income households and those without natural gas service also are exempt from the requirement. Related Articles Environment | Raw milk nearly killed her son. Now avian flu is bringing more attention to its risk. Environment | Mexico City’s floating gardens have fed people for hundreds of years; now they’re threatened Environment | Cities, states say they’ll need more help to replace millions of lead pipes Environment | Here are the latest species counts for California’s gray wolf packs Environment | Phillips 66 indicted on charges it dumped tainted water from Carson refinery into sewer system Residents in the affected areas are reminded that burning wood in their fireplaces or any indoor or outdoor wood-burning device is prohibited, as is burning manufactured fire logs, such as those made from wax or paper. Fine particles in wood smoke, also known as particulate matter or PM2.5, can get deep into the lungs and cause respiratory problems such as asthma. Residents can receive no-burn day notifications by signing up for Air Alerts via email or text at www.AirAlerts.org.