The Maricopa County Air Quality Department is implementing no-burn days beginning Saturday and continuing through Christmas Day.

Department spokesman Bob Huhn said the ban was put in place because wood-burning activity usually rises during the holidays.

“We also have another issue besides all the wood-burning activity, and that’s the weather," Huhn said. "We have an inversion level as we do here in the winter, and it’s a little cooler. Right now, we don’t have any winds. The air is pretty stagnant, so there’s nothing to really clear the air out.”

Residents who burn wood while the ban is in place could face a fine of up to $250.