City fire conducts planned burn at Santa Maria Airport

The Santa Maria City Fire Department will conduct a one-day prescribed burn at the Santa Maria Airport on Thursday.

The city fire department is in coordination with Santa Barbara County Fire Department.

The burn will go from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

This prescribed burn is an effort to mitigate hazards associated with pyrotechnics at the Central Coast Airfest.

The burn will be conducted when the meteorological conditions are highly favorable in order to direct smoke away from population centers.

The burn project was planned by the Santa Maria City Fire Department in conjunction with Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District and the California Air Resources Board in order to minimize impacts on air quality on surrounding communities.

The city is warning people that they might smell smoke and to take health precautions by limiting outdoor activities.

They advise people sensitive to smoke to consider relocate temporarily and close all doors and windows on the day of the burn.

They also encourage people to remain indoors as much as possible if they live around the airport.

A portable air monitor will be set up at Joe Nightingale School to monitor air quality conditions.

Data will be available on the Air Pollution Control District website.

This burn will depend on weather and air quality conditions that are favorable for smoke dispersal.

If the conditions are not as desired, the burning will be rescheduled.