East Hampton Town Adopts New Law Requiring Beach Fires to be in Containers

East Hampton Town adopted a new law which would require beach fires to be enclosed in a metal container at the board meeting last Thursday.

According to Town Supervisor Larry Cantwell, the law was adopted after a young girl stepped on embers from an abandoned fire at Maidstone Park Beach about a month ago and suffered burns on her feet.

The law has two parts; it requires all fires to be in a metal container and it requires all contents to be removed from the beach, according to Cantwell.

The law, which is set to be implemented next summer, will be addressing not only a safety issue, but a littering issue as well.

“There are two objectives, to keep beaches clean and to keep beaches safe,” Cantwell said.

Once implemented, violators of the law can expect a fine the maximum of which is believed to be up to $250, Cantwell said.

Currently the law states that beach fires are required to have a bucket with water readily available, which Cantwell says has been violated several times.

The problem has been seen in several beaches in the area, from downtown Montauk to Amagansett day beaches.

A similar law has been in effect in East Hampton Village for about 3 to 4 years and officials testified during the Town board meeting that since then, while there is not 100 percent compliance, beaches in the Village are safer and cleaner, according to Cantwell.