The Beaches II

The village has been ahead of the town, however, in the regulation of beach fires. About two years after it banned blazes built right on the sand, the experiment has proven worthwhile. Unlike in East Hampton Town, the sand has again become more or less pristine white, in stark contrast to the charcoal-flecked areas at every single popular road-end and lifeguarded beach managed by the town.

The East Hampton Town Board will hold a hearing tonight on whether to follow the village’s lead and require all beach fires to be kindled within metal containers. While some residents might be nostalgic for a time when fires right on the sand did not add up and create a significant problem, those days have passed. On any warm summer’s night now, dozens of fires can be seen almost anywhere you go, and in the morning, buried but still-hot coals present a risk to bare feet. By mid-day, beachgoers often have to set their towels down amid black flecks and half-burned logs. This is not okay.

We expect that the town board will do what is right and make the change to require containers for fires. The East Hampton Town Trustees, whose agreement is needed for the beaches under their jurisdiction, should endorse the new rule. It is necessary.