Coastal Commission to decide fate of Newport Beach fire rings

The California Coastal Commission is expected to vote Wednesday on whether Newport Beach may remove the fire rings where generations of beachgoers have held summer barbecues.

The city's request was prompted by complaints from nearby homeowners about smoke wafting from the concrete rings, which they say is unhealthy, especially for those with respiratory problems.

An online petition to save the rings has drawn nearly 6,000 signatures, including from some who cited memories of the rings dating to the late 1940s and early 1950s, when they were installed.

Newport Beach has 33 fire rings near Balboa Pier and 27 at Corona del Mar State Beach.

The commission's staff has filed a report recommending that the rings stay in place.

The panel's meeting is scheduled to start at 8:30 a.m. at the Bahia Resort Hotel in San Diego, and is to be viewable live on the commission's website.

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-- Cindy Chang

Photo: James Hughes adds fuel to a blaze in a fire ring at Corona del Mar State Beach. Credit: Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times