SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Officials with the Golden Gate National Recreation Area have abandoned a proposal that would have required people to acquire permits before making bonfires at Ocean Beach, a San Francisco tradition.
The National Park Service scrapped the idea after deciding the $35 reservation permits weren’t worth the effort. And in a bonus for bonfire lovers, the service will add four more bonfire rings, bringing the total to 16.
“The public thought the permit took away the spontaneity aspect of having a beach fire,” Alexandra Picavet, a park service spokeswoman, said in a story Friday in the San Francisco Chronicle (http://sfchron.cl/21muOgE).
The park service received more than 500 comments on the proposed rule. Most opposed the idea of a reservation and forking over $35 for a permit.
Park officials have been trying to regulate beachside bonfires since 2006 as complaints grew over unattended blazes and boozy crowds. The National Park Service estimated at one point that it was spending nearly $90,000 a year to clean up after the fires.
The service has turned to education to remind beachgoers to clean up and guard against fire damage. A new program will begin this spring with trained staff and volunteers to enforce rules.
San Francisco resident Sacha Ielmorini told the newspaper that bonfires are a fun and cheap way to build a sense of community.
“Where else can you get a beach in the middle of a city? All it costs is the price of a box of wood. It’s a great equalizer, and everybody can do it,” she said.
Groups of 25 or more must make a reservation.
Bonfires are banned through February as part of the Bay Area Air Quality Management District’s Spare the Air season, which starts in November.
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