Wood burning is back at 30 Newport Beach fire rings

The Newport Beach City Council decided Tuesday night to immediately bring wood burning back to some of the city’s beach fire rings, again stoking debate over the issue.

After about an hour of public comment, the council voted 5 to 2 to approve a plan allowing wood to be burned in 30 rings – 15 on the east side of the Balboa Pier and 15 at Corona del Mar State Beach, Councilman Scott Peotter said.

Corona del Mar State Beach, also known as Big Corona, has 27 rings in all and the Balboa Pier has 33, according to a city staff report.

Councilman Keith Curry and Mayor Pro Tem Diane Dixon dissented.

“Anyone who denies the health impacts [of wood-burning rings] should be ashamed of themselves,” Curry said.

The council also approved a plan to eventually have 60 wood-burning rings among Big Corona, the Balboa Pier, Newport Pier and Newport Dunes. It is not clear when that would take effect.

Last month Peotter, who was elected in November, directed city staff to look at moving away from the council’s previous charcoal-only rule for fire rings.

Peotter, along with three other newly seated council members known as “Team Newport,” campaigned in part on returning the city to wood-burning rings, a hot topic for many residents.

“Charcoal doesn’t keep you warm,” Peotter said in a previous interview. “It’s great for cooking hamburgers, but when it comes to a bonfire, it just doesn’t cut it.”

The approved plan differs from a staff report that would have allowed eight wood-burning rings near the Balboa Pier and seven at Big Corona.

In July 2013, the South Coast Air Quality Management District amended its Rule 444 to require a 700-foot buffer between bonfires and homes and designate “no-burn days” when fine particulates are at an unhealthy level. The policy is a softened version of a proposal that would have banned all beach bonfires in Orange and Los Angeles counties.

In response, Newport Beach began enforcing an interim ordinance that limited fuel in fire rings to charcoal. The AQMD considers charcoal a cleaner-burning substance than wood.

However, the California Coastal Commission has indicated that it likely wouldn’t approve of charcoal-only fire rings, Peotter said during Tuesday’s meeting.

The Coastal Commission and AQMD have battled for legal authority over the issue for more than two years, often leaving Newport Beach in the middle.

The debate over charcoal and wood has pitted residents against one another in many parts of the city. Neighbors of the fire rings urged the council to continue the charcoal-only policy, citing respiratory problems stemming from smoke.

Charles Farrell, who lives next to the pits near the Balboa Pier, said that during the summer, when people would flock to the beach to burn wood, he would consider checking into a hotel to get away from the smoke.

“The amount of wood smoke is something that one cannot acclimate to,” he said.

When wood is burned, it releases particles that have cancer-causing potential, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

“Long-term exposures, such as those experienced by people living for many years in areas with high particle levels, have been associated with problems such as reduced lung function and the development of chronic bronchitis, and even premature death,” according to the EPA.

However, those who support reviving wood-burning rings said it’s a deeply nostalgic tradition.

Others ventured that residents complained in the hope of keeping low-income families off the beach by allowing only charcoal, which is more expensive than wood.

“This was not about smoke,” said Ray Englebrecht, a local fight promoter who ran unsuccessfully for City Council last year. “It was about residents in our community that didn’t like the looks of people coming down to the beach.”