Wildfire and environment
Fire spreading beyond the cook: dry ground, decking, wind and wildfire risk.
These rules are jurisdictional. Each one names the authority it comes from and the territories it applies in. Where BBQHQ holds no rule for your territory, it shows you nothing rather than showing you somebody else’s.
What the rules say
UK: the ground stays hot after the fire is out
significantLondon Fire Brigade · GB · last verified 2026-08-21 · review due 2027-08-21
The ground under a fire or a disposable barbecue stays hot for some time after the fire has gone out. Let coals and embers cool completely before throwing them away.
Everybody understands that a lit barbecue is hot and almost nobody expects the grass under a finished one to be. It is the specific hazard of the disposable barbecue, which is set directly on turf, sand or decking by people who then leave — and the heat outlasts every visible sign that there was a fire there.
Where this comes from
The ground beneath a fire or a disposable barbecue can stay hot for some time after the fire is out, and coals and embers should be allowed to cool completely before they are thrown away.
Well established
Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) — States this directly
“Be aware that the ground under fires and disposable barbecues can stay hot for some time after the fire has gone out ... Allow coals and embers to cool completely before disposal ... Keep barbecues, patio heaters and bonfires away from fences, sheds and plants ... Supervise barbecues and fires at all times and keep water close by”
- The heat left IN THE GROUND is the part London Fire Brigade's siting guidance does not cover, and it is the mechanism behind scorched lawns, melted decking and the burns children get on a beach hours later.
- The siting and supervision advice restates what UK fire authorities already publish and BBQHQ already holds. Recorded so the corroboration is visible, not as a new rule.
About this source · Original · retrieved 2026-08-21