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Pawtucket committee adopts revised outdoor‑burning rules after heated debate over 50‑foot buffer
Summary
After a lengthy debate, council committees voted to move substitute outdoor‑burning language with a 25‑foot separation from structures (down from a chief‑preferred 50 feet) and added appliance and supervision requirements; the fire chief warned the shorter buffer raises safety and liability concerns.
Pawtucket councilors on May 6 advanced a revised outdoor‑burning and fire‑prevention ordinance that reduces the separation required between recreational fires and structures from 50 feet to 25 feet, while adding clarified appliance specifications, supervision requirements and other safety measures.
Fire Chief (name not provided) argued persistently for a 50‑foot buffer. “Fifty feet is safe,” the chief said, citing neighborhood fires that began as small backyard blazes and spread to multi‑unit homes. “If somebody’s going to go 25 ft and they’re burning something…that’s dangerous.”
Supporters of the 25‑foot standard pointed to the national minimum and to a suite of other safety requirements added to the substitute ordinance — limits on pit size and fuel, mandatory attendance by an adult, and a readily available water source — that they said reduce risk. “There are other safeguards,” one councilor said, noting that appliance requirements, size limits and supervision help manage the hazard.
The committee indefinitely postponed the original draft and then approved Substitute A with amendments setting 25 feet for allowable recreational fires and fire pits, and replacing awkward phrasing about “covered receptacles” with a clearer requirement that fires be “contained in a safe, approved, listed appliance used in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations.” The committee recorded a roll‑call vote on the amendments and the substitute as a package.
Members said the ordinance strikes a balance between allowing safe backyard recreation and protecting the city’s closely built neighborhoods. Still, the fire chief said he would not support lowering the distance and warned the council that if a serious fire occurs the city could face public scrutiny. Councilors said the change can be revisited after implementation if enforcement or incidents suggest problems.
The committee sent the amended substitute to the full council for consideration.
