Holyrood douses plan to place fire pits on the beach

By Mark Squibb

The Town of Holyrood will be keeping its beachside fire pits in storage this season.
Councillor Mable Tilley broke the news during the June 30 public council meeting.
“The beach is very, very busy with tourists,” said Tilley. “And let’s keep any risk of fire at bay for a little bit. So, we’re not going to put the fire pits back quite at this moment.”
Tilley said if the town experiences a month of rain, staff will put the pits out once again.
Councillor Bruce King, meanwhile, said many residents feel there should be consequences for ignoring fire bans.
“If we’re going to put a fire ban in place, and people do not follow the ban, there needs to be legal action taken against them,” said King. “The other thing is, if there’s an evacuation, everyone in that area needs to be evacuated, right?”
Councillor Charlotte Story, meanwhile, encouraged residents to clean up any glass they might find in the woods, as glass, when struck by sunlight, can cause a forest fire.
The measure is not the only one taken by the Town recently to reduce the risk of fire.
The Town opted to close out SquidFest on July 19 not with a fireworks display, but with a drone light show. Holyrood also discontinued it’s organic waste dropoff program in 2025 partly because some people were dropping off regular garbage instead of just tree branches and grass clippings, but also because organic material can act as a fuel source during a wildfire.