60 wood-burning fire pits could return to Newport Beach

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. (KABC) -- The newly elected Newport Beach City Council is moving forward to request the California Coastal Commission to approve a plan to preserve the city's popular wood-burning fire rings.

On Tuesday, the council voted 5-2 in favor of requesting the commission to review a coastal development plan that will allow 60 fire rings throughout the beaches. The rings would be spaced out and several would be placed near the pier and dunes.

The fire pits have been a hot topic in Newport Beach since 2012, when the council originally voted to restrict wood-burning fire pits.

In 2014, restrictions were enforced by the South Coast Air Quality Management District to keep fire pits at least several hundred feet away from nearby homes.

With the new development plan, the fire pits are compliant with a 100-foot spacing requirement set by the district.

The California Coastal Commission is reviewing the development plan and may vote on it as early as March 2015.