Just be careful not to singe Santa coming down the chimney, but restrictions on using your fireplace -- as well as wood heaters and wood stoves -- have just been lifted by Albuquerque's Environmental Health Department's Air Quality Division.

The wood-burning Red Alert up for the past two days expired at 11 this morning, and it will be "green" or OK to burn at least through 11 a.m. Tuesday, said Jeff Stonesifer, the Environmental Health Department's meteorologist.

There is enough wind behind a powerful storm currently over Oklahoma and Kansas "to put us in the green for wood burning both Friday and Saturday night," Stonesifer said in a forecast this morning. A low pressure system expected to move into Southern California Sunday night and into New Mexico Monday night should bring enough moisture and instability "to keep us within the green" for wood burning Monday night, according to the forecast.

There have been four no-burn days so far in the current cold-weather season, said Stonesifer.

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