LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Clark County officials have launched a new campaign in an effort to lower pollution in the Las Vegas valley.
The "Put Out the Fire, Clark County" campaign is asking residents not to burn wood in fireplaces, stoves and fire pits on Christmas Day.
For the past two years, the county exceeded the EPA's air quality standard for particulate pollution on Dec. 25. The results were traced back to the increased wood burning that happens on Christmas Day throughout the Valley.
Now, they're on a mission to avoid that for a third consecutive year.
"We want them to put out the fire this Christmas Day, so we're asking them to turn on the Yule Log on their favorite streaming service and not burn wood so we can avoid what's called an 'exceedance for particulate matter pollutant,'" said Kavin MacDonald with the Clark County Department of Environment and Sustainability. "We don't want to be going to what's called nonattainment and get restrictions put on us by the EPA."
The county is asking for residents to take the following precautions this Christmas Day:
- Don't burn wood on Dec. 25
- If you do burn wood, use Burn Wise tips from the EPA to enure you're not over-polluting the air we share
- Reduce vehicle idling to lower vehicle emissions
Residents are also invited to take a pledge not to burn wood on Dec. 25 to be automatically entered to win an electric fireplace.
You can take the pledge to enter, and find more tips and information when it comes to burning safety, on the county's website here.
