Smoke of fire pits stinks

ArgusLeader.com

Dan T. Donahoe • Sioux Falls • September 20, 2008

I read with great interest Peggy Ellingston's recent letter in the Argus Leader, "Fire pit smoke fills fresh air."

I must agree with her completely.

It doesn't seem too difficult to understand that when people live in a city or village, in close proximity to one another, the byproducts of wood burning (smoke, carcinogenic matter, noxious chemistry and odor) will impact someone nearby.


This leads me to wonder why adults would engage in this type of entertainment? Possibly they don't understand the impact.

I would like to challenge the wood burners to answer these questions:

When your fire pit is burning, do you leave the windows of your home open?

When there is a wind, which side of the pit do you sit on?

Now I could be wrong, but my guess is that you do not leave the windows of your home open as your fire pit is smoking and burning. I also would bet that you sit in a position where you are not in the direct path of the smoke, fumes and other byproducts of your fire.

Herein lies the problem.

Unfortunately, your neighbor, who is getting smoked out by your recreational fire, cannot move his house out of the path of your smoke. You, on the other hand, just can get up and move your chair away from the smoke and stink.

So I challenge you recreational wood burners to sit in the smoke and stink of your fire instead of moving your chair to the fresh-air side. I also challenge you to leave the windows of your home open while you burn your pit.

Especially if the wind is blowing the smoke into your home.

If you walk a mile in your neighbors' shoes, you might be a bit more considerate the next time the wind is blowing and you want to light up that pit.

+++++

Additional comments from people that responded to the above letter...

1...Great letter! At my mom's house in Okoboji, her neighbors are constantly using their fire pit and it ALWAYS invades her house. She is not a fan of air conditioning but has to do this so it doesn't smell like a bonfire in there. It is rude and thoughtless. I can't burn my leaves in the city, why can people have fire pits?

2...Good points. I might add this is a health hazard for people with asthma. So people should respect their neighbors and not have these open fires, if the neighbor has a concern about it. Sadly, common consideration and good citizenship is not common anymore.
Thanks for the interesting letter.