Due to multiple recent events in town, Wading River Fire Department would like to remind everyone to properly dispose of ashes from fire places and fire pits.

Everyone loves a cozy fire in the winter or when camping, but fires can be dangerous. Warm ashes have the potential to start another fire if not disposed of properly. By discarding wood and ash carefully and recycling ashes outside away from the house and away from woodlands, if you wish, you can enjoy fires in a safe way for years to come.

Allow the wood and ashes to cool completely in the fireplace. If indoors, let your embers cool down completely with the fire screen closed. Even if it appears the ashes and wood aren’t hot, they may remain warm and capable of starting a fire for some time.
Transfer the remaining wood and ashes to a metal bucket with a shovel. Wearing safety gloves, use a metal shovel to move the ashes into a metal bucket. Move the bucket close to the site of the fire, so you are not transferring ashes over your wood floor indoors or longer distances outside. Act as though the material still has the potential to be warm, even if you think it’s cool.
Never use buckets or shovels made of any combustible materials, such as wood.

Let outdoor fires cool completely in the fire pit. Let your campsite embers cool completely in your firepit. Do not leave your camping area with any warm embers still radiating heat. If you need to put your embers out quickly, smother them with sand or dirt.

Wet the wood and ashes with water. Use a water bottle or watering can to wet down your ashes and any wood pieces in the bucket. Use enough water to saturate the materials in the bucket, so they are thoroughly wet. Do this whether you are inside or outside.

Transfer the metal container outside. Place your metal bucket of fire waste outside your home. Choose a location away from any combustible materials, such as oil or paper. While it might be tempting, do not discard any additional trash or flammable materials in the bucket.