THE station manager at Delabole’s fire station wants to inform the public of how to deal with disposable barbecues properly — this follows a fire on Castle Road, Tintagel, which was caused by an unattended barbecue.

Fire crews were called out on Thursday, August 18, at 4.42pm and both appliances from Delabole attended the incident, which involved a ten-metre area of gorse and grass being caught alight by an unattended barbecue.

The fire was extinguished using beaters and shovels, crews stayed on the scene monitoring hot spots.

Mark Saltern, station manager at Delabole Fire Station, wants to ensure the public are aware of the dangers of leaving a barbecue unattended and improperly extinguished.

He said: “We want to raise public awareness to the dangers of barbecues and how people should be careful when using them and where they use them.

“We attended this incident for a couple hours because a barbecue had not been sufficiently extinguished. Due to the recent dry spell the grass was dry and caught easily.”

When asked what the public can do to ensure they use disposable barbecues correctly and safely Mr Saltern said: “People should be aware of where they are placing these types of disposable barbecue. If they are being placed on the sand then that is fine but if they are being used on say a grassy area they need to be raised up off the ground by blocks or some form of stones placed underneath them.

“After use it is important that the public make sure the barbecues have been correctly extinguished using water.

“It is best if you are able to take them home afterwards and dispose of them, but never place a barbecue in the bin at the beach, or even beside one, as there may still be hot embers which can re-ignite if there is a breeze. This will then be blown on to bins and bags and can cause a larger fire.

“There was an incident of this in Wadebridge not long ago where a whole row of bins caught alight because of an improperly put out barbecue.”

Mr Saltern added: “It is also worth mentioning for people with campervans/caravans or tents that these barbecues should not be used inside as they let off harmful gases which will cause harm. Always remember to handle with care”

Overall the fire services want to make the message clear that the public should always remain alert to the possibility of barbecues causing incidents.