Fairbanks

Health officials declare burn ban for North Pole area

FAIRBANKS — A burn ban was lifted early Monday for the city just south of Fairbanks.

The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports local health officials put a burn ban in place in North Pole because of air made unhealthy by particulate pollution.

Temperatures early Monday reached 25 below zero.

The North Pole burn ban is the third of the winter.

Residents are required to stop all burning of wood, pellets and coal. If they have no other source of heat, they can apply for a waiver.

Also, people with stoves certified by the federal Environmental Protection Agency may burn solid fuel when it's colder than minus 15.

Particulate emitted from incomplete burning is linked to heart and lung illnesses. The young, the elderly and the weakened are especially vulnerable to particulate.

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