THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, October 19, 1994 TAG: 9410190408
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B01 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY ANNE SAITA, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: COROLLA LENGTH: Medium: 58 lines
Bonfires in the Corolla area have left officials with a burning desire to warn the public about the dangers of building a fire on the beach.
The Currituck County Board of Commissioners on Monday directed county staffers to look into regulating bonfires on the county's public beaches.
The main purpose is to pass on the perils of beach blazes, which recently have given rise to more property damage, uncontrolled brush fires and trash, officials said.
``You get this attitude when you're on vacation that you don't need to pay attention to detail. You're just here to have a good time,'' said Marshall E. Cherry Jr., chief of Corolla Fire and Rescue.
Cherry initiated Monday's discussion, noting that bonfires and related injuries are on the increase.
It is common during peak summer months to find as many as 10 blazes burning each evening in the Corolla area. In the less populated areas north of the beach access ramp, bonfires do not appear to be a problem, he said.
At one Corolla site, bonfires are held nightly. ``Those were the ones that people got hurt at,'' Cherry said.
Injuries involved beachcombers burned or cut from materials left at a bonfire site.
Most of the accidents result from ignorance, such as improperly extinguishing the fire, Cherry said.
Most people throw sand over the bonfire to put it out. ``That's not how you put a beach fire out, and I guarantee a little child will burn his foot because you didn't put it out properly,'' the fire chief said.
Water should be used to fully douse a flame, he added.
The measure proposed by the county's Chiefs and Captains Advisory Board would require people who plan to build a fire to sign a notice of their intent at the fire station or county satellite office.
The group originally supported a permit system at its September meeting but on Monday endorsed a ``notification system.''
A signed notice would explain the responsibilities associated with a bonfire but not require a fee.
There would, however, be a fine for violators who do not follow the common-sense rules and use illegal materials.
``People are burning plastic lawn furniture, you name it,'' Cherry said. ``One evening they burned a $500 - that our occupancy tax paid for - salt-treated lumber lifeguard tower.''
Cherry also noted his concern about blazes that, spurned by brisk ocean breezes, could easily ignite nearby dwellings and dune vegetation.
``These are three-story, tall wooden structures,'' he said. ``I haven't got the water to put them out if they really start to cook.''
Neighboring Dare County does not have bonfire regulations, but Nags Head has its own ordinance prohibiting beach fires without a permit.
Violators are subject to misdemeanor charges in Nags Head. by CNB