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Haze, High Pollution Lead To A No-Burn New Year's Day For Phoenix

Published: Friday, January 1, 2016 - 8:16am
(Photo by Katherine Fritke - KJZZ)
A very hazy sunrise from the KJZZ newsroom in Tempe on New Year's Day, 2016.

A very hazy start to the new year means yet another no-burn day for Valley residents.

Officials with the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality say levels of fine particulate matter, known as PM 2.5, may exceed federal health standards today. The agency cites stagnant weather conditions and strong temperature inversions for issuing the high pollution advisory.

In addition to a ban on wood-burning fireplaces, that means Maricopa County residents are not allowed to use off-highway vehicles today.

Residents were allowed to burn wood in their fireplaces on Christmas Day for the first time in seven years.