The City of Weyburn's Fire Pit Bylaw requires anyone using a fire pit in their yard to have a permit from City Hall. However, there are also a few safety rules to keep in mind to ensure only happy memories are made during fire pit season.
Deputy Fire Chief Mike Wolk said the fire pit should be placed far enough away from anything combustible in your yard, such as your trees, your fence, or your house.
"Make sure that your fire pits are constructed from non-combustible materials and have the proper screen over top just to eliminate the risk of anything floating off and starting a fire," he said. "A minimum of three to four metres, just so you don't have radiant heat from the fire."
He said that while trees in full leafy bloom are less flammable, dead branches or dry branches in other seasons are at a higher risk of igniting.
Keep the fire to a small, manageable size.
"Be aware of the smoke and how it may affect your nearby neighbours," Wolk noted. "You don't want anything that's gigantic. If you can fit a pallet in there, it's probably too big, so smaller dimensions of lumber or would definitely be more acceptable."
If you have trouble getting a fire started, he said there are products you can purchase to help you along, and while some use dryer lint, nobody should ever use gasoline.
"Gasoline is a whole different beast. I do not recommend it. I've seen people burnt by using gasoline because it's not actually the gasoline that's flammable as much as the vapour. So once the vapour starts coming up, that's what gives you the big [blast] when it lights."
A common complaint from neighbours is regarding what is being burned in the fire pit.
"Make sure whatever you're burning in your fire pit is clean, seasoned wood, no garbage, leaves, or refuse from around your yard," Wolk reminded. "We want to stay away from those, as the chemical that's used in that may be irritating to some people, and it doesn't burn clean. As well, you'll get that heavier, darker smoke, which could possibly bother other people, or it'll just smoke out your entire yard. Same with grass clippings and any green type of wood, it produces a lot of smoke."
He said any time a neighbour complains about a fire smelling like burning garbage or being left unattended, members of the Weyburn Fire Department come out to investigate, and do their diligence to ensure the resident indeed does have a fire pit permit.
When you're done with a fire and ready to go into the house, never leave a fire unattended - not even embers.
"Make sure you're taking a garden hose or a water source to it, and completely dousing that out, because that would constitute an unattended fire, so we want to make sure that we keep that in check."
He said even embers can cause a fire.
"Especially in dryer times, when people have just brick fire pits built into the ground, those embers can actually burn into the root systems and cause the fire inadvertently as well."
Find out more about the bylaw HERE.