My Evolution of Burning Fires

[Williy]

Hay all you guys with the burning brush piles
I didn't see anyone roasting any winnies????
Should have invited the neighbors!!!!!!

willy

 

[jyoutz]

Here in Cali and just recently having a wild fire at my doorstep, I tend to keep fires relatively small (4 ft. diameter) and easy controllable.... Being a pyro is ok if you must, just not in my neighbor hood.... Also just complete portable water tank system with tank and pump and hose to move to site where fire is to help control fire so it does not get out of hand...

I burn large brush piles every few years. I just wait until snow cover, then burn.

 

[3930dave]

I’ve had many large burn piles on the last 2 properties. Some stacked by hand, some with machines. Those have been burned out in the middle of a large pasture.

My current pile is in the rear of the property, near a wooded area.

I’m not burning that one until it rains!

Here’s a few pics..

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Burn permits here are free.
Sign up online, sign your copy, have it with you for when they stop by.

Yes, you're supposed to check if it's a burn day (website or phone).

Don't have to notify anyone here, and we're in the highest fire danger tier area.
Burn permits are required about May 1 onwards; you're supposed to check if it's a burn day regardless of permit required. Burn permit only allows a 4x4 fire, which IMO isn't enough to burn clean, and my piles are typically 6-8' diameter and very visible from the road.
I've never had anyone stop and ask for my permit.

Fields used to get brushed out/back on the paternal farm, late Summer. Big brush pile, middle of field. Dead of Winter (nobody wintered down South on that farm) being a quiet time, pile got burned off, with 3+ feet of snow on the ground. Pretty foolproof.

FFWD to today... things change........ worked with somebody who was Volunteer Fire - one call he was one was mid-Winter. Folks burning off brush on their country property ended up with a couple of Townships worth of fire-equipment onsite, to take care of the snowless fields on fire.

Govt off-loading being what it is here, those ^ people ended up with a staggeringly huge bill presented to them for the fire-call.

I'm all for UnCommon Sense (my term, Today) in most things still, but depending where you live, the financial exposure from an out of control fire can be astronomical.

Rgds, D.

 

[nyone]

Just because green grass will burn next to a super hot fire doesn't mean it will remotely catch from a spark, but either way you need to be paying attention (sparks can catch dry trees even when the grass is green and wet underneath).

That comment was about making a back burn not singing grass 2ft from a fire.

 

[ning]

Hay all you guys with the burning brush piles
I didn't see anyone roasting any winnies????
Should have invited the neighbors!!!!!!

willy

These are probably from last year

We often cook on the remnants of our burn piles... often the next day, too; they stay hot for a long time. Steak, burgers, kabob, hot dogs, whatever sounds good.
I often use a rake to pull a small pile of coals away from the main pile as the heat is too intense otherwise (for the food and cook).

First pic: Kabobs (at the upper left on a small pile of coals for a slower cook) and a fast sear for some asparagus.
Second pic: Burgers (likely some lamb, some beef) on a piece of 3/16" steel. I find that you get plenty of flavor when cooking on wood even with the sheet, and this way you don't lose the flavor from juices & fat that drip out as that gets cooked & concentracted and stuck back on the burgers. I rarely have burgers if we're eating out any more because I get better ones at home this way...

The grate has some round bar stock welded at each corner so that it'll stand up over coals; we mostly use it in our wood stove when we cook in there.

 

[Wakey]

I just found out you no longer need a burn permit in the state of Georgia. I find that interesting because there is no mechanism to keep someone burning on an arid and or windy day.

It’s odd because the permits were free and you can either call an 800 number and receive a permit number or you could go online which gives you the ability to print it in case law enforcement shows up, but that’s only happened to me once in all the years I’ve lived here.

The state still has a burn ban in the northern counties from May 1 - Sep 30.

They did say that local laws still apply but the rural areas will need to suffer some consequences before they have a reason to create more bureaucracy.

 

[WVH1977]

Lots of rain here in the last couple of days. Taking advantage and burning a couple of piles. I started one and just kept adding from the other piles. I don't think I will ever use my tractor again for tending. The Hitachi is SO much better.

 

[Highvoltagehands]

You havnt had a big enough fire if you didnt load it with a machine and the fire dept show up.

2yrs ago I had a big enough fire. They showed up, I spread out the stumps I was burning and wet everything down. I didnt call them nor did I need them.

That’s funny. Does having a fire dosed by a Cal Fire Air Tanker count as big enough?? It sure went out quickly for such a BIG fire…..

 

[Highvoltagehands]

It's getting harder and harder to have a burn pile in CA. Calfire charges over $100 for a burn permit besides a yearly tax of over $100 AND more fees in the property taxes. To burn you have to notify the fire dept. that morning and confirm it is a burn day. Here it is only green/wet in the winter so burning can't happen after April. My neighbors and I have piles so large they sometimes burn for multiple days.

WTH? I burn in a Tier 2/3 HFTD area of El Dorado County, Ca and have never been charged for a Calfire permit nor had to notify any fire dept either. I pull a free permit online annually and only required to check online or call hotline to see if it’s a burn day. This year we couldn’t burn from June thru October.

 

[Wagtail]

You havnt had a big enough fire if you didnt load it with a machine and the fire dept show up.

2yrs ago I had a big enough fire. They showed up, I spread out the stumps I was burning and wet everything down. I didnt call them nor did I need them.

Here in Tas you only need to call the State Fire Service and get a (free) burn permit, letting them know when you plan to burn... it prevents 'call outs' and the local, volunteer, Fire Brigade searching for wherever the smoke is coming from.