Beach fires have been part of my life experiences since I was a kid. I have three grown children plus grandkids and we all enjoy that warm, cozy, marshmallow-roasting, storytelling evening by the shoreline.
If the city-installed, cement fire pits aren’t available (and they usually aren’t, since the city has removed more than 180 pits, due to “maintenance expenses,” over the years), I’ll use a portable, contained, wood-burning fire cylinder that is nearly smokeless, and the minimal ash left over is responsibly dumped. These work great, are easily transported and are available online, just do a search. It’s a nice warm fire and no mess is left behind on the beach when it’s time to go.
That being said, my family and friends were outraged to think that the city might vote to allow city fire pits and propane tank fires only.
We have change our Your Say question for next week following the news of the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade.
Propane tanks? That is not a beach fire! That would be like sitting around your kitchen stove. No dancing, crackling flame that gives off heat with a festive atmosphere. This proposal clearly wasn’t thought out with better beach fire alternatives available.
I understand the desire to stop fire pits being dug into the sand and the coal debris left behind by people who also usually leave behind their other trash as well. I support enforcing that rule along city beaches.
However, banning us responsible citizens who love and take care of our beaches by limiting us to only having a gas fire as an alternative to the grabbed-up city pits is ill-conceived, limits many families from a time-loved tradition and is absolutely unfair to those of us who have beach fires in a safe, clean, responsible way.
There has to be a compromise in this potential ruling that will not punish people who do things the right way and continue to allow folks to have a treasured, after-dark, beach experience.
They 100 percent should ban bonfires outside designated burn pits. Two years ago, my then-3-year-old daughter was on the bay in front of Bahia Hotel. She was playing around and saw a hole dug out and wanted to go roll around in there like she’s done a bunch of times before.
Unfortunately this time, inside that hole someone from the previous night had set a bonfire in it. They didn’t put the fire out correctly and just kicked sand over the hot coals, causing the coals to continue to burn all night and all morning long and covering any evidence of the danger that was under the sand. When my daughter rolled in there, she was instantly covered in second-degree burns all over her back, shoulder and arm, resulting in permanent scarring on her skin.
Keep in mind there were designated burn areas no less than 20 feet away from where this was. There is no reason to burn fires on the sand, people don’t properly put them out and there are hundreds of burn pits all across the bay and the beach, and I’m all for even more of them to be installed. I’d hate to see this happen to anyone else.
Put in more fire pits. This is just another law that is a slap in the face to the working and middle class. So only the wealthy people in La Jolla and Rancho Santa Fe can enjoy a bonfire in their backyards?
The problem with spending scarce public resources and goodwill on trivial issues like banning wood bonfires is that it sacrifices our liberty while distracting citizens from critical issues that really make a positive environmental impact — like a windfall oil profits tax against greedy monopolistic oil companies.
There is no evidence that a rampant increase has occurred in the wood bonfire activity, and to those who occasionally participate, it fosters joy and friendship. Leave well enough alone. Avoid increasing the appearance of if not the fact of the encroaching “nanny state.” Don’t sweat the small stuff.
Environmental scientists still don’t know when we will have reached the “tipping point,” or, to put it another way, the “point of no return,” at which time it will be too late to save our precious planet from its demise caused by humanity’s calloused degradation of our world and its environs. And you want a bonfire on the beach?
Let’s address the dangers of fire, both wild and contained, caused by nature and caused by man. Fire shouldn’t be used for entertainment; if you’re looking for something to do at the beach, pick up some trash left by others who chose to ignore our declining environment. If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem.
Houses are now being built without fireplaces (or, in some cases, built with electric fireplaces) because fire produces a contaminant. It’s like having a very large cigarette. It sucks the oxygen out of our air and widens the holes in our Earth’s ozone layer.
When we reach the point of no return, we won’t have water left to put out the fires because our ground water will have subsided, sucking our civilization down into what was once the aquifers, melted snow long having disappeared.
And you want a bonfire on the beach?
Bonfires on beaches have become a menace that, unabated, will make our beaches unsafe and unsightly. There is literally no enforcement of regulations on the beaches for unleashed animals, motorized vehicles on boardwalks and nightly fires.
Below is a letter I sent to San Diego’s mayor and City Council which best describes the issues and resolutions:
“I have lived on [a court] on Mission Bay since 1976, yet not until recently have the beaches been too often menaced with open wood-burning ‘private’ portable fire pots. No one is opposed to everyone having fun on the public beaches, but not at the expense of the health, safety, peace and tranquility of all.
“1) The pits are often abandoned after use.
“2) The hot coals are left buried in the sand for people to step on.
“3) Hot logs and embers are often tossed into the bay leaving charcoal to wash ashore (pollution).
“4) The wet and dry beach sands are now strewn with black charcoal fragments from hot embers.
“5) The smoke enters our open windows, causing health issues.
“6) The cinders rise and could land on something flammable. Roof?
“7) Open fire pits are not uncommon directly adjacent to dry plants and buildings.
“8) Live-burning small hot air balloons are commonly released that float over buildings.
“This is not an issue of rowdiness, although the parties can last well into the early mornings and can be noisy. There is always (illegal) alcohol involved, so revelry is common.
“As I read the Union-Tribune article about the council’s upcoming deliberations, and as confirmed therein, we at the beach are well aware of a nearly complete lack of enforcement of any laws or restrictions on any issue. In view of the tolerance of non-enforcement, I would like to suggest a few alternative possibilities for your consideration.
“A) Ban all wood-burning and charcoal fires on all beaches, except in city fire rings. But if not, consider the suggestions below.
“B) No fires or coals can be burned within 300 feet from any structure or plants.
“C) Use fire department or lifeguard personnel to patrol beaches on weekends. They don’t have to issue citations but can put the fires out and inform the offenders. If there is a problem, they can call police.
“D) Mandate that no wood-burning fires can occur after 10 p.m.
“E) No ‘fire balloons’ or any incendiary shall be sent airborne.
“There are other preventative measures, I’m sure, but they depend on the city’s desire to enforce laws. Thank you for your consideration.”
The council members unanimously responded that the only manageable solution is “A” above. Since there are few resources available to cite “crimes and misdemeanors,” I have to agree.
T. L. Sheldon, Mission Bay
No one is going to lug a 30 pound propane tank out onto the sand, connect it to a portable propane fire pit that weighs 20 more pounds and sit there on the beach admiring a dinky, chemical fire. If a tourist is staying in a second story vacation rental, they might break their neck trying to maneuver the stairs to get down to the beach with that propane tank. Instead, they will go to the local liquor store, buy a bundle of wood and set a fire directly in the sand. When they get cited, who cares? They don’t live in San Diego.
I am a long-time resident of South Mission Beach.
I strongly believe that there should be a ban on wood burning fires outside of the concrete rings/squares.
It can be dangerous to nearby dwellings, as the fire containers can be placed close to residences,
Improper coverings for fire containers allowing larger fires. Improper care for smoldering embers, etc., Larger and louder gatherings, sometimes with alcohol.
Fire rings were removed years ago for these very same reasons.
Kathryn Borden, South Mission Beach
Use logic and common sense. The people of San Diego, and every beach city for that matter, should be able to use fire rings for their bonfires. Some of my favorite memories involve cooking hot dogs, making s’mores and just warming the body over a nice big bonfire after a dip in the Pacific Ocean. I even remember hunting grunion and cooking them over a nice bonfire before devouring the tasty tiny fish. There is nothing that says summer better in San Diego than a huge bonfire on the beach.
For safety reasons, though, there should be no other fires on the beach. Anyone who has ever stepped on burning coals hidden underneath the sand can testify to why the fires must be relegated to the rings. If the portable bonfire rings are used, there must be giant cylinders for the disposal of hot coals when the party disperses. Enjoy and have a wonderful summer.
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