Camp Fires and Fire Art
Camp fires and fire art projects are not permitted in Black Rock City proper, with the exception of designated public areas. 55 gallon steel drum "burn barrels" with legs, staked
down against high winds, will be provided for public use on the Esplanade. Groups camping near and using these will be asked to monitor them and help with their clean up.Commercially manufactured cooking equipment is the only acceptable fire sources for cooking within camps.
Tiki Torches, Candles and Lanterns
Winds pick up without warning and blow things over -- tent fires have happened due to tiki torches, candles and lanterns being blow over in or around tents. This is VERY scary in
a tent city! For this reason torches are not allowed in the city proper. Unattended candles are discouraged and safe use of lanterns is encouraged.
Burn Scars
Fires built directly on the playa surface create a burn scar or patch of discolored, hardened sediment that unaided takes years and years to fully recover. The process to manually restore
them requires many hours of picking out residue by hand, breaking up the fired surface and dispersing discolored playa. It must be worked over again and again, year after year if the burn scar is bad enough. There are literally 100s
of these in varying degrees of recovery on Black Rock. Not all of these are ours, but many are and it is our intention to make no new burn scars in 2003.
Public Pyres
Burning Man will be providing several public burn platforms (Public Pyres) approximately 100 feet away from the Esplanade at the end of every road, for participants to burn wood
items on without scarring the playa. They will be designated on the Black Rock City map. Every citizen near them will be asked to "adopt a Pyre" and help manage burning on it.
Like years past the Pyres will be made out of corrugated tin sheeting, about 10" X 10" square. They will be elevated on bricks, cinder blocks or fabricated metal risers. This will
insulate the playa from baking and contain ash and other nasty residue (eg. screws and nails) for easy clean up.
Leaving No Trace by not even letting it hit the ground! Carry your art or camp belongings to your Public Pyre. Watch it burn and cool. Then simply tip the metal to the side and
slide the residue into a bag. Haul it on home when you leave. Simple and complete!
Air Born Pollutants
No burning of any synthetic materials (e.g. couches, rugs, plastic or PVC) is permitted. They release particularly toxic fumes and create hard to clean residue.
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