Where are the Landlords and Fire Marshals?

How many homes have caught fire from porch BBQ's in the past month? I thought that BBQ grills were not allowed on covered porches.
Open Fires, Bonfires, Outdoor Rubbish Fires

No open fire of any type shall be permitted at anytime in the City of Woonsocket. This includes domestic yard trash fires and leaf burning. Open fire is defined as any fire within which the products of combustion are emitted into the open air and are not directed through a stack or chimney. Barbecue pits shall be used only for the cooking of food and not as an incinerator. Charcoals, or similar type cooking fuel, shall be the only fuel permitted in barbecue pits.

Keep Your Backyard Fire Pit From Violating Burning Codes
Is Your Fire Pit in Violation?

It’s chilly evening. You and your friends are sitting around your back yard fire pit enjoying the warmth.

Could it be that you are violating a City fire code forbidding open burning?

In general, open burning relates to such activities as burning of leaves, construction debris or other large fires built on the ground. Open burning regulations typically do not apply to fires used for cooking, warmth, recreation, religious or ceremonial purposes. Most fire pits, chimineas, patio hearths, fire tables and other similar devices are elevated from the ground and fabricated from steel, concrete or clay with a screening around the firebox.

So the short answer is “probably not,” providing you are using the device within certain conditions:

The fire must be fueled by clean, seasoned firewood, natural gas or other clean burning fuel (with emissions equal to or less than that created by seasoned firewood)
The fire is not used for disposal of waste.
The fire’s total fuel area can be no more than three feet in diameter and no higher than two feet.
The fire cannot be deemed hazardous, even when within these parameters.

Materials That Can Never Be Burned

Fire codes strictly prohibit the burning of certain materials at any time and in any circumstance. They are:

Materials containing rubber, grease, asphalt or items made from petroleum, such as tires, auto parts, plastics or plastic-coated wire
Garbage, including wastes from food processing, handling, preparation or consumption
Carcasses of dead animals