Newport Beach City Council Votes To Bring Back Wood-Burning Fire Rings
NEWPORT BEACH (CBSLA.com) — Wood-burning fire rings are coming back to Orange County.
The Newport Beach City Council voted Tuesday night 5-2 to accept an interim plan that will place at least 15 wood-burning fire rings on Corona del Mar State Beach and in an area near the Balboa Pier. The council also passed a long-term, permanent plan changing all 60 city fire rings to wood burning.
As part of the permanent plan, which requires a development permit from the California Coastal Commission, 18 wood-burning rings would operate at Corona del Mar State Beach, 26 on the beaches on both sides of the Balboa Pier, nine near the Newport Pier and seven at the Newport Dunes, according to the Orange County Register. All fire rings would be spaced to comply with South Coast Air Quality Management District regulations.
The city implemented a charcoal-only rule in March to comply with new AQMD regulations on wood-burning fire rings. It prohibited wood burning within 700 feet of homes or 100 feet of other rings. By spacing the fire rings farther apart, the city can meet those AQMD regulations and allow for wood burning.
Kurt Wiese, general counsel for AQMD, said at the meeting that both the interim plan and the permanent plan comply with the agency's rules.
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