Messy beach fires bring complaints from Newport residents, officials

These days, you can burn charcoal or wood in the fire rings at Corona del Mar State Beach. But some visitors have been making fires directly on the sand, creating a mess and potentially a dangerous situation, Newport Beach residents and officials say.

On Valentine’s Day, five fires were burning directly on the sand at the beach, known as Big Corona, according to Frank Peters, a neighbor and a vocal opponent of wood fires. The sand fires, he said, extended up to 200 yards east of the fire rings.

The next day, Peters said, he walked the beach with city park patrol officers.

“They found two buried fires that were still burning,” he said. Wood was smoldering under the sand at 10 a.m., with families with children nearby, Peters added.

No citations were issued for the fires, said city spokeswoman Tara Finnigan, who added that fires built outside of rings are unusual.

“They’re not unheard of, but they’re not common,” Finnigan said.

Newport Beach Councilman Keith Curry said the city has received many complaints and reports about burning violations since its charcoal-only rules were changed in January to allow wood in 30 of the city’s 60 rings — 15 on the east side of the Balboa Pier and 15 at Big Corona.

One resident said that on Presidents Day he found a table, possibly stolen from a nearby home, partially burned in a fire ring. He also complained of trash and other debris scattered near rings.

At a Corona del Mar Residents Assn. board meeting Feb. 19, Curry raised concerns about the cost of enforcing rules that permit only charcoal in some fire rings while allowing wood in others. Some people at the meeting commented about a lack of enforcement and about liability concerns associated with visitors being burned by embers in the sand.

The city is seeking public input on possible configurations for beach fire rings. An online survey at connectnewportbeach.com will be open through Friday.

City staff will submit a plan to the California Coastal Commission for approval, possibly at the agency’s June meeting at the Newport Beach Civic Center.