Latest news with #firepits
Daily Mail
27-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Smoked out! Villagers living next to a posh campsite claim they are being forced to sell their homes over 'excessive smoke' from trendy fire pits
Neighbours of a posh campsite have claimed trendy fire pits with 'excessive smoke' are forcing them to sell their homes. Villagers in Frogham say Harry's Field in Hampshire's New Forest, which opened in 2015, is a fire hazard and 'intrusive' air pollution has even worsened their asthma. Others have sold up and moved away after the site, which opened in 2015, became 'intolerable' and caused the area to 'stink', the council has been told. The campsite, managed by a renowned hatmaker for the Royal Family, has a population of just over 340, with houses selling for an average price of more than £700,000 last year. The uproar comes as earlier this month, homeowners won a planning battle to stop the site from increasing the number of days it is allowed to open from 28 to 52. Vivien Sheriff - whose designs have been worn by the Duchess of Cambridge - argued the business would not be able to operate if what neighbours complained of was true. The Sheriff family, owner of three campsites in the New Forest, made the application in December last year but were met with strong objections from more than 30 locals. As part of his protest, Steve King, 63, said the fire pits provided by owners have caused a 'major inconvenience' to neighbours as it is 'impossible for people nearby to enjoy their own outdoor spaces during the summer'. The training consultant added the smoke blowing over from the fires 'stinks' - and causes air pollution. Fire pits are rented out to guests by the campsite, costing £15 for one night, £20 for two nights, £25 for three nights, and £30 for four nights. Campers are provided with one 'load' of kiln dried wood, but are charged £8 a bucket afterwards. Objecting publicly, Stephen Havelock said the campsite had brought 'misery, noise and nuisance to this quiet village'. Mr Havelock spoke of the use of fire pits and said the campsite is 'extremely close' to open forest and gorse which is a 'tinderbox in summer'. He said: 'Sparks could also burn and ignite the tents on site with disastrous consequences. 'This makes no sense at all. Just look at the fires in Los Angeles. 'In spite of what the current owners say, BBQs are commonplace.' Harry's Field is home to the annual village fete - famous for its uphill wheelbarrow race - and Ms Sheriff's (pictured) family-run campsite business The homeowner went on to claim Harry's Field is 'detested' by many locals, who 'dread the start of the campsite opening as it makes their lives a misery'. He said: 'I believe that three residents have sold up and moved away largely because this campsite had made their lives intolerable. 'Noise, shouting, loud music, excessive smoke and antisocial behaviour being the main causes.' Helen Taylor, who works as a vet and lives right next to Harry's Field said she has been 'plagued' by problems caused by the campsite, which was once voted in the Top 40 UK campsites. She said open fires as well as gas and charcoal barbeques are used by campers on a 'daily basis'. Dr Taylor added: 'Residents have suffered significant worsening of their asthmatic symptoms as a result of this smoke pollution.' Harry's Field is a family-run business which describes itself as a 'small campsite run by campers for campers'. The site provides facilities like 'proper flushing loos', shower blocks, communal freezers, a campsite shop, a coffee and drinks van, and a pizza oven at weekends. Ms Sheriff, 60, said she was encouraged by planning chiefs at the council to apply for permission to extend their opening days and was under the impression issues over the campsite had quietened down. She said: 'The main fact is nobody wants a quiet campsite more than we do. 'There is no way we would be able to run if what [neighbours] were saying is true. 'We were asked and encouraged to do this by the director of the national park planning team. 'This has been stormed up by a few people who have really got an axe to grind.' But Ms Kerr - who lives in a thatched cottage - raised concerns for her health and home due to the fire pits in her objection. She said she had to keep her windows shut in the summer, adding: 'We have smelt accelerant being used to light fire pits and we can see the flames through the hedge. 'My insurance company won't allow me to have any type of open fire, in my garden as my property has a thatched roof and yet I can watch ash and burning debris being blown towards our my property when the wind is in my direction.' Michael and Theresa Mayes said living next to Harry's Field has been 'challenging and detrimental to health' for neighbours. The couple said the site is in an 'unusual position' as it is situated in the heart of a small hamlet in fields surrounded by residential housing. They said this has created a 'goldfish bowl effect' which has resulted in an 'extremely unpleasant environment for all those living in the village'. Another resident said the' 'pungent fire pit smoke causes us to shut our windows and doors and retreat indoors on the days when we should be enjoying our gardens and warm weather'. Locals concluded living next to the campsite has been an 'unpleasant, challenging and sometimes downright nasty experience for local people'. They said they have seen campers feeding livestock foods like biscuits, doughnuts, and crisps - which is forbidden in the New Forest. Some claimed while the site is only permitted to open for 28 days, there have been several occasions when the owners have 'illegally' extended this. And they complained of 'anti-social behaviour' from campers, including incidents' of trespass, urinating in neighbours' hedges and feeding livestock. Last week, New Forest Park Authority rejected the application for Harry's Field to open for 52 days per year. The council said the proposed development would have an 'unacceptable adverse impact' on neighbouring properties. Harry's Field is home to the annual village fete - famous for its uphill wheelbarrow race - and Ms Sheriff's family-run campsite business. For over 20 years, Ms Sheriff has run Vivien Sheriff Ltd, a millinery business. She is said to create 'exceptionally original, undeniably British, luxury headwear' which has been worn by the Duchess of Cambridge - including for her first Royal engagement in 2011 - as well as her sister Pippa Middleton. A tent pitch at Harry's Field costs £21 per night with an additional cost of £11 per adult and £5 per child. Campers can also stay in luxury glamping tents, which cost £730 for six nights.
CNN
24-05-2025
- General
- CNN
The best smokeless fire pits in 2025, tried and tested by editors
The best fire pit we tested Best fire pit: Tiki 25-Inch Smokeless Patio Fire Pit Parking one of the best fire pits in your backyard opens up a world of outdoor fun. It's the perfect centerpiece for friends and family to get together while dinner cooks on the grill and an icy cooler chills your drinks. If it's brisk out, the heat of the fire beats any blanket, and if the bugs are circling, those flames will help keep those pests at bay. If you've ever sat around a fire and been stuck in that one camp chair that can't seem to dodge the smoke, you'll be glad to hear that most backyard fire pits these days are designed to burn without a cough-inducing haze. They follow the science by using air and ventilation to create a fire so efficient that it burns off everything, leaving no debris to escape in the form of smoke. Is it really that simple, though? Can any smokeless fire pit create a setting so sublime that it's worth whatever the price is? I set up four of the most popular fire pits in my backyard to find out, and after scorching bundles and bundles of firewood, it became clear that one made the experience better than the rest. Tiki 25-Inch Smokeless Patio Fire Pit Tiki's fire pit cuts down on smoke while making setup and cleaning a breeze. Its striking design creates a blaze that burns above the rim, giving off the light and heat you want around the fire. The Tiki 25-Inch Smokeless Patio Fire Pit rose to the top of my rankings because it produces a controlled, comfortable fire in a design that simplifies every step — lighting, maintaining and cleaning — and is pleasing to the eye in any setting. Sitting around a wood-burning fire in the Tiki Patio Smokeless Fire Pit was a delight. Because its main drum is not as deep as most of the competition, flames crested above the rim of the pit consistently, even if I didn't burn many logs. This resulted in a cozy glow at night and steady warmth around the entire unit. The design of the Tiki fire pit promoted an efficient yet not overwhelming burn. The structure stands on a three-legged metal ring, which mounting with three screws is the only step for setup. The slight elevation provided by the stand promotes terrific airflow through the holed bottom of the pit. Combine that with another ring of ventilation around the rim of the drum, and you get plenty of heat and not a lot of smoke. The Tiki pit found the right balance of not burning so hot that you need a ton of wood but not burning so weak that smoke gushed out of the pit. If it's a (safe) inferno you desire, fear not. You could always add more wood. Or try the Tiki Wood Pack, a bag of wood pellets that make lighting the fire absurdly easy. When you're ready to blaze, place the included dome into the fire pit's drum and stack the bag of pellets on top. Light each corner of the bag with a lighter. It'll only take a few seconds for the pellets to evenly pour out of the bag and fill the pit, and mere minutes for a significant fire to catch. When I burned the one bag that came included with the Tiki pit (in the video above), I saw flames reach 3 feet above the rim of the pit. The fire died down after about 40 minutes, though that gave me the perfect smoldering base to throw on a few logs and keep the fire going. Additional Wood Packs are sold at Amazon and Tiki's site, where you can subscribe to refills for a discount. A removable pan at the bottom of the Tiki 25-Inch Smokeless Patio Fire Pit was a small inclusion, but it made for the easiest clean-out of any fire pit I tested. Once your fire has completely died out — seriously, wait until the next day to ensure you're not working with embers or hot ash — push any loose ash through the holes in the bottom of the pit and into the tray. Pull it out, dump it in the trash, then replace. Other fire pits I tested involved more cumbersome processes, like taking the entire unit apart or purchasing an additional scooper. Prev Next The Tiki 25-Inch Smokeless Patio Fire Pit also includes a cover. Considering this 43-pound pit isn't something I'd want to lug around even for storage in a garage or shed, I appreciate being able to protect it from the elements at no additional cost. To get the conveniences of the ashtray and cover in an attractive, versatile fire pit that's typically discounted to under $300 is a major win. Throw in a 30-day return period and a two-year warranty, and I love the value for anyone who sees themselves sitting around the fire dozens of times every summer. I'll bring the s'mores supplies! I burned multiple fires in four different fire pits, assessing each one according to the following criteria. Design Setup and installation: Most of the fire pits didn't require a lot of steps beyond a simple unboxing, though I noted any action required before lighting an initial fire. Size and weight: In moving each fire pit to a suitable spot for lighting, I accounted for its dimensions and how those figures affected portability and positioning. Aesthetics: It's all about the vibes. A fire pit is often the centerpiece of a backyard, so I gave my opinion on its looks. I admit, though, that not everyone has the same visual taste. Burning Lighting: There are few things more frustrating than a fire that just won't start. I timed my efforts in starting fires in each pit, evaluating any features that aided, altered or hindered each attempt. Flame height: In burning fires with six seasoned wood logs assembled in a log-cabin formation, I measured the height of the flame above the rim of the pit. Heat radius: The construction of a fire pit can affect just how big a fire you can build and how far the heat of that flame will be felt. I assessed how far away from the fire pit heat radiated, which is important to know when determining if a fire pit is right for your space or not. Smoke: All the fire pits I tested claimed to be smokeless, but that doesn't mean there's never any smoke. I noted how smoky the fires were during different stages and how efficiently they burned fuel. Cleanup: There is always some cleanup after a fire, but I valued fire pits that simplified the process. Value Features and add-ons: What comes in the box? Are there add-ons available, and if so, how much do they cost? While much of my evaluation hinged on the base fire pit, I analyzed each model's capabilities beyond the basics. Price: Any time you're spending hundreds of dollars on something, you want to get your money's worth. I held up my evaluations against the cost of each fire pit to see if it was worth it. Warranty: I noted the length and coverage of each fire pit's warranty. Size and portability Where you're going to use your fire pit should guide your purchase. If you're planning on planting it on your backyard patio and never moving it, something as portable as the BioLite FirePit+ probably doesn't make sense. If it's going to live in the back of your truck and come along on every camping trip, a massive unit like the 62-pound Breeo X Series 24 is ruled out. Fuel source When I imagine a fire pit, I see a neat stack of logs burning inside. But the truth is, there are options for how you fuel a fire. Each fire pit I tested is compatible with traditional wood logs, but only some of them have wider capabilities. If you want added convenience, burning wood pellets is easier than starting a fire with logs. In the Tiki fire pit, all it took was a few clicks of a lighter to have a roaring pellet fire in a few minutes. Pellets are also a bit easier to purchase — you can buy some bags online in a few clicks — but they'll cost you more in the long run than a supply of logs. Cooking Though it was not the primary focus of my testing in this exercise, cooking over a live fire is something to consider if you're in the market for a fire pit. It takes practice, but with the right tools (and a lot of patience), cooking over a fire can lead to smoky, delicious results for all sorts of foods. You'll want to evaluate the surface area atop your fire pit, as the more you plan to cook, the more space you'll want. All the brands I tested sell additional products that get the most out of their respective pits' cooking capabilities. Tiki's griddle pops right on top of the Patio Fire Pit. Breeo sells a plethora of grilling add-ons; really, it's the focus of the entire brand. Cuisinart has a grill-griddle combo, and BioLite's compatibility with charcoal means you already have a grill built in. Breeo X Series 24 Smokeless Fire Pit Durability is not in doubt with this fire pit that can form the foundation of a heavy-duty live-fire cooking setup. The Breeo X Series 24 is a beast of a fire pit. Weighting in at 62 pounds and measuring nearly 28 inches across, it's a bigger, burlier setup to get serious backyard fires going. The 'X' naming convention is for the ventilation system in the shape of that letter on the bottom of the drum. It's an ideal base for a tic-tac-toe-style log formation to get your fire started, and paired with a double wall for heat retention and added combustion, it leads to a healthy burn that cuts down on smoke more effectively than every other pit I tested. High heat in a huge container creates perfect conditions for live-fire cooking, and that is where Breeo butters its bread. You'll probably want to start with the Outpost Grill to cook over the flames, but that's just the beginning. Pop the pizza oven on top or spin kabobs with the just-released rotisserie. (I plan on testing these cooking functions in a future update to this guide.) The sheer mass of the Breeo X 24 means it's best suited as a permanent presence and not known for its portability. But I wouldn't want to move it anyway. This is the kind of monster that can be the pillar of your summer, powering cookouts and illuminating long nights of stories around the fire. Use it often enough and the corten steel exterior (it also comes in stainless steel) will start to show proof of all the good times (don't confuse that weathered appearance for wear and tear; it's all by design). Ultimately, the price is what makes the X 24 an outlier. Though it's backed by a lifetime warranty, it's twice as expensive as our top pick, and it opens a gateway to even more spending on accessories. If money were no object, those possibilities would likely make Breeo my top choice. If you're similarly wary of a $600 commitment, the X 24 does have a smaller sibling, the X Series 19. At $400, it knocks off a third of the price while retaining all the same impressive qualities in a slightly more compact frame. Cuisinart 24-Inch Cleanburn Fire Pit It's shaped like a giant torch, and my oh my, it sure burns like one. There were a few flaws in the Cuisinart 24-Inch Cleanburn Fire Pit that dropped it below the Tiki in my evaluations. First, its top rim acts as a wind guard to protect the fire, but the looseness of that guard was frustrating and borderline concerning when I needed to tend to the fire or add another log; I always felt I was close to knocking it off. The Cleanburn also needs to be completely disassembled to dispose of the ash it creates. Users have to twist the main drum off the base, then pick up the base to toss the ashes. It's not hard, but it's much more tedious than Tiki's pull-out drawer or Breeo's scoopable basin. If these are qualms you can look past, the Cleanburn is priced right and burns a mean fire. Its torch-shaped drum promotes an intense fire that whips above the rim and creates a wide heat radius. My initial fire created a lot of smoke, but that was likely because of a coating on the metal that burned off. Subsequent fires burned cleaner, with less smoke and a more pleasant smell. BioLite FirePit+ Smokeless Fire Pit and Grill The FirePit+ is not like the others I tested. I still really liked it for what it is: a portable pit that creates its own conditions for the perfect smokeless fire. If you're trying to buy a fire pit to throw in your backyard forever, you're probably not looking for the BioLite FirePit+. But if you know you want your pit to tag along to the beach or a campsite or friend's house, BioLite is onto something here. Portability is the calling card of the FirePit+, which, when folded up, is about the size of a bundle of firewood. That's much more transportable than the heavy metal drums I tested. Instead of designing a pit for maximum airflow, the FirePit+ breathes the air itself. A battery-powered fan (which is also a portable charger for your devices) attaches to one end of the pit to send air underneath and along the sides of your fire. It really works. My fires in the FirePit+ burned steadily and without smoke. Because the sides of the structure are metal mesh, improved visibility minimizes the overall flame size, and naturally, a smaller fire meant it didn't radiate as much heat. A common complaint with BioLite's rig is that the fan's noise is a total vibe killer. I disagree. Most of the time, I kept the fan on the lowest or second-lowest setting of four speeds. It didn't bother me or my family as we chatted about life and listened to our beloved Phillies on the radio. How do smokeless fire pits work? How do smokeless fire pits work? Smokeless fire pits work by circulating lots of air. The design of nearly every fire pit I tested places holes below where the fuel source burns, allowing more air to enter the pit. Then, tall metal walls — sometimes two layers — trap heat and air for extra combustion. It all creates an environment that fully burns the fuel, limiting the amount that escapes as soot and smoke. Can I cook over a smokeless fire pit? Can I cook over a smokeless fire pit? Absolutely. Smokeless fire pits can be especially effective for cooking because they trap so much heat. The makers of my favorite fire pits from testing sell a ton of cooking accessories to make the most of your super-hot kitchen, including Breeo's Outpost Grill and BioLite's accessory set that features a grill lid, a griddle and grilling tools. Are smokeless fire pits safe? Are smokeless fire pits safe? Yes. Smokeless fire pits are safe as long as you follow the guidelines provided by the manufacturer. They're made to handle extreme heat. That said, most fire pits aren't recommended to be used on flammable surfaces, such as dry grass and wooden decks, though many brands sell barriers and platforms that allow it. As always, wear proper protection like work gloves when managing your fire, and always keep an eye on children in the vicinity. CNN Underscored has a team of skilled writers and editors with many years of experience testing, researching and recommending products, and they ensure each article is carefully edited and products are properly vetted. We talk to top experts when applicable to make certain we are testing each product accurately, recommending only the best products and considering the pros and cons of each item. For this article, associate testing writer Joe Bloss burned multiple fires in each pit included in this guide, carefully analyzing their performance and durability along the way. Bloss has been building fires for as long as he can remember, dating back to his days camping during childhood. He's an experienced product tester for CNN Underscored, penning a guide to the best car vacuums and the Ninja FlexFlame outdoor grill.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
San Diego fire pits: Are they going up in smoke?
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — The sound of a fire crackling, buffeted by windy ocean spray is a luxury that might be a thing of the past in the time of San Diego austerity, as the mayor and city council race to trim $258 million from the budget. Supporters of fire pits say the $135,000 savings for scrapping San Diego's fire rings is out of line with what the city is. 'That is why people come to San Diego is to have that beach culture experience, catching a wave during the day, having a beach bonfire at night, that's what makes San Diego,' said Richard Bailey, a Mission Beach business owner and former Coronado Mayor. Business owners say the fire pits keep the atmosphere alive well after dark. The Mission Beach Town Council on the other hand says for them cutting the fire pits makes sense financially and it cleans up a problem they've been trying to fix anyway. 'The reason I feel the fire pits are a no brainer is because San Diego has the eighth worse ozone pollution in the nation. It's surprising to everybody I tell, and when they find out, 'God we are this polluted what can we do?' Eliminate 184 fire pits,' said Gary Katz, a member of the Ocean Beach Town Council. Locals who live in South Mission Beach say people burn couches, trash and even scooters in the fire pits and the smoke blows right into their homes. 'There's an L shape, so they are up the beach this way and then down the parking lot to the east, so no matter which way the wind blows, there is a 99% chance we are going to get a lot of smoke,' said Marty Zimmerman, a Mission Beach resident. The fire pits are currently cut from the draft budget so it will take the city council to save the beach fires. 'I would hope they would keep it, regardless of the cost, it benefits the people that live here the most,' said Kelvin Dean, who was born and raised in San Diego. The final budget will be submitted by June 10. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
