Carmel considers all-out ban on beach bonfires.

One thing to be thankful for: The old days, when you were allowed to have a bonfire on Carmel Beach. 

Those days might be over. On Tuesday, Carmel City Council will vote on a proposed ordinance declaring beach fires a public nuisance—effectively banning fires.

"Anything which is injurious to health so as to interfere with the comfortable enjoyment of life or property is a nuisance," according to the ordinance.

Carmelites have been debating for years what to do about an increasingly popular activity on their famous beach. Neighbors have complained about smoke, dirty charcoal left behind on the white sand and litter near fires. 

Supporters have turned out at Planning Commission and City Council meetings over the years to advocate for keeping the fun tradition alive, and finding alternatives to keep the beach cleaner, like fire rings or permits limiting the number of fires. 

The Carmel Police Department currently has a vacancy and is recruiting for a beach patrol officer, a new position. 

If approved Dec. 1, the ordinance will take effect Jan. 1, replacing a temporary ordinance approved Aug. 6 that bans beach fires on weekends and holidays. 

This is a slightly revised version of an ordinance that went before Carmel City Council a month ago. Reflecting on the tradition of beach fires before the Nov. 3 meeting, Mayor Jason Burnett told the Weekly, "This is one of those things that people will look back on and see it was appropriate in the 20th century, but that it’s not appropriate in the 21st given what we know of public health risks."