On 13 September 2024, the Council was alerted to a fire that was still smouldering on Porthcressa Beach from the night before. As you can see from the photographs below, this fire was a hazard which presented a significant risk to both the public and wildlife in the area. We’d like to thank those who reported it to the Council before any harm was caused so that it could be extinguished and the area made safe. A significant amount of debris, including hot nails, had to be removed from the beach.
The Council of the Isles of Scilly is urging beach-goers to look out for signs that fires have been lit on public beaches and avoid any such area for their own safety. A fire, not properly extinguished, can still burn under the sand for quite some time as the embers can hold their heat for much longer than you may expect. Pallets, which are often used for beach fires can also pose additional risks as they often contain metal nails or are painted or contaminated with a product which produces toxic gases when burned.
The Council advises that all residents and visitors respect that everyone should be able to access the islands’ beaches safely and does not encourage the lighting of fires in public places.
Lighting a fire in a public place always presents a potential hazard to the public, wildlife and environment. If you do decide to take this risk, it’s important to reduce the risk to yourself and others by:
- getting permission from the relevant Landowner
- reading the advice from the Fire and Rescue Service on fire safety outdoors
- not causing a nuisance to those in the surrounding area
- ensuring you fully extinguish the fire before leaving it unattended
- clearing up any debris as soon as it is safe to do so
If you cannot do this, please consider not having the fire in a public place at all.
