How to Burn Autumn Leaves Safely

When compost and recycling are common and easy, burning leaves might seem unnecessary. But there are still a variety of reasons to burn autumn leaves. In all cases fire safety is vital. Here are some tips to help you burn autumn leaves safely.

Obey the Law

Many locations have bans on burning leaves under any circumstances. Additionally, most places regulate the conditions under which you may burn leaves. Generally, if burning leaves is legal in your city, it will still be illegal to make a fire that effects your neighbors. Both this and basic politeness dictate that you should warn your neighbors that you will be burning leaves, and keep your fire small enough that the smoke and ash stay on your own property.

Because the law will vary, however, it is important to call your local fire department and ask them what your local regulations are regarding bonfires.

Planning and Setup

When planning to burn your leaves, picking a good spot for your fire is imperative. You should choose a spot that is far from buildings, trees, and anything else that could catch fire or be damaged by smoke. Your spot should also have no overhead cables. The best places for a fire will be either bare dirt. You should also be sure that the place you select has no obstacles, and can be evacuated easily.

Once you have chosen a place to have your fire, you need to prepare it. First, clear anything that could catch fire out of the way. This includes leaves, paper, grass, wood, and dead plants. After you do that, it is a good idea to soak the area surrounding your fire with water, to guarantee that it does not spread.

Safety

Once you have lit your fire, there are still many things you can do to keep it safe and effective.

While burning your autumn leaves, you should always keep a close eye on your fire, and be near by, ready to react if something were to go wrong. In addition to guarding against the risk of the fire spreading, you should also be careful to keep children and pets away from your fire.

Do not use any flammable liquids, like kerosene or gasoline, to help start your fire. Dry leaves will burn just fine on their own, and using any other fuel adds extra risks.

Keep your fire small. Since you should be attending and maintaining your fire for safety reasons, this shouldn't be hard. Add leaves periodically as they burn up. Putting out a small fire in a hurry is a lot easier than extinguishing a large one.

Keep your supply of raked leaves on the opposite side of the plants you have soaked in water. You don't want them to burn by accident before you add them to the fire.

Have a bucket of water or a fire extinguisher handy when you burn leaves.