Move to Ban Fires on Sand
Beach fires on East Hampton Town beaches might soon have to be built only in containers, and not directly on the sand, if the town board adopts a law similar to one passed some time ago in East Hampton Village.
The board discussed a draft law this week, but will wait for comments from the East Hampton Town Trustees, who have have jurisdiction over most town beaches, before moving ahead.
However, with the charred remains of more and more fires littering the beaches and discoloring the sand, and a recent incident in which a preschooler burned her feet on embers smoldering in the sand, some kind of action is needed, board members agreed at a Tuesday meeting.
“When a young child is burned from the remains of a beach fire, it’s troubling — it’s a safety issue,” Town Supervisor Larry Cantwell said. And, he said, there is the “issue of the accumulation of charred wood. Our beaches end up littered with charcoaled wood. It’s really not very pleasant. . . .”
In a recently adopted tack, Mr. Cantwell posted a question to constituents on his Facebook page, asking their opinions on the whether beach fires should be allowed only in containers. There were 125 responses, he said, and though various opinions were expressed, “It’s clearly a concern of the community. People care about this issue, and they care about safety, and they care about the condition of the beaches. People want a better result than we’re getting at present.”
Restrictions are an “idea whose time has come,” Town Councilman Peter Van Scoyoc said. “I think we need to tighten it up a little bit, and make it safer and cleaner.” Councilwoman Sylvia Overby agreed. “It may be time,” she said.
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Recently a child was burned after stepping on a buried beach fire at Maidstone Beach. Should the Town require all beach...
Posted by Larry Cantwell on Monday, June 29, 2015