Beach Bonfires Essay

A strike of a match burns the pallets of wood piled on the sand at the beach, while the fire burns you sit back and enjoy the beautifully lit moon, and the soothing sounds of the ocean, with friends, who came to have a good time. However, the night turns to dawn, the sun begins to rise and it’s finally time to go home. The only thing left are the palettes of wood to get rid of, but they’re too bulky to carry and too scorch to touch. Many think the best thing they can do is bury them in the sand and that no harm is done, yet despite laying the fire to rest the fire still exists. Over time, those pallets resurface from the sand and become a problem that is too consequential to be ignored. Beach bonfires have been occurring far too often on our Island and have become a nuisance for beach residents, beach goers and clean up …show more content…
Another concern that arises because of it, includes, the safety of beach goers and wildlife that comes to walk or lay along the sand. People and wildlife are susceptible to injuries caused by debris left by pallet bonfires. Take a walk on the beach and a nail penetrates the bottom of your foot easily, hop into the water and find nails right beneath your toes, dig into the sand and stumble on stabbing your palm into charred glass. Injuries like burns can occur even after the flame is out as well. The article, “Beach and Campfire Burns: A Site of Pleasure and Tragedy” established that, “these extinguished fires, which are now buried in sand, remain a potential hazard for up to 8 to 12 hours. These remain hot for long periods of time after there is no visible flame in the fire pit to warn children or parents of the impending danger.” This creates more worries for families to be concerned about because they assume it is safe to have their children play in the sand, until they find them crying because of a burn caused by embers still heated. The flames may be out, but the heat is