Bonfires (Dedham, Penobscot: hotel, houses, live)

[Charlie&Rose]

Any places on or near water that let you have bonfires...or even fireplaces to cook on

[Maineac]

Building a fire on a body of water shouldn't be done. Some areas you'll get a fine. Some municipalities require a permit for a fireplace setup. Check the town. I've got a 25' pile of brush and stuff I need to touch off soon. Thanks for reminding me. Free town permit, certify you have a charged hose and two adults, and let her rip. You don't need the hose for a campfire pit, and most towns (Dedham now wants to "inspect" your fire pit) won't bother you. They go to the extent because they have limited resources to fight fires, or volunteer departments, and just want to know what's going on.

[Northern Maine Land Man]

Building a fire on a little town skating rink at the town park would not be allowed, but lakes don't belong to towns and you can build fires for cooking and warming on lakes. What little charcoal or ash sinks to the bottom in the spring is not a problem.

[mainebrokerman]

I went on wardensreport.com and got a free online fire permit-

sometimes it depends who your neighbors are..



I live on the water and have had some good sized fires...

[slyfox2]

People sitting around a big bonfire in the middle of a lake seems like a set of good candidates for the Darwin Award.

[Northern Maine Land Man]

Not necessarily, slyfox. There could a dozen pickups and cars out there too. A few years ago a couple of guys were ice fishing on West Grand Lake. One had a new GMC pickup. His friend said, What's the blue button for?"

The owner pressed the button and the radio said, "Onstar, may I help you?" The driver said, I'm just showing Onstar to my friend here.

The radio said, "Well Onstar shows you are in the middle of a lake. Are you on a ferry boat?"

No, We are on a lake, ice fishing.

"You have your TRUCK on the ICE on a LAKE?"?

Yes.

"Oh, oh Sir, Oh my. Sir, you need to get your truck off that lake. Oh, my God".

The Onstar lady was in Texas where they are unfamiliar with ice fishing. Our new GMC owner said, "Should I tell everybody else with trucks to get their trucks off the lake too"? That Onstar recording may be part of the Onstar training syllabus now.

Tractor trailer logging trucks cross lakes in Maine. Sometimes skidders haul logs across the Penobscot River. What some people see as foolhardy may be perfectly routine to Maine working people. We just need to be familiar with our surroundings. It is unlikely that we will have skidders on the Penobscot this winter. Same with logging trucks on our lakes.

[slyfox2]

Originally Posted by Northern Maine Land Man

Not necessarily, slyfox. There could a dozen pickups and cars out there too. A few years ago a couple of guys were ice fishing on West Grand Lake. One had a new GMC pickup. His friend said, What's the blue button for?"

The owner pressed the button and the radio said, "Onstar, may I help you?" The driver said, I'm just showing Onstar to my friend here.

The radio said, "Well Onstar shows you are in the middle of a lake. Are you on a ferry boat?"

No, We are on a lake, ice fishing.

"You have your TRUCK on the ICE on a LAKE?"?

Yes.

"Oh, oh Sir, Oh my. Sir, you need to get your truck off that lake. Oh, my God".

The Onstar lady was in Texas where they are unfamiliar with ice fishing. Our new GMC owner said, "Should I tell everybody else with trucks to get their trucks off the lake too"? That Onstar recording may be part of the Onstar training syllabus now.

Tractor trailer logging trucks cross lakes in Maine. Sometimes skidders haul logs across the Penobscot River. What some people see as foolhardy may be perfectly routine to Maine working people. We just need to be familiar with our surroundings. It is unlikely that we will have skidders on the Penobscot this winter. Same with logging trucks on our lakes.

I didn't say your couldn't walk or even drive your truck. People do that all the time. Of course we always have some idiot who fails to get his truck off the lake in mid march and it sinks.

NO.... I was talking specifically, and bringing out a lot of wood, starting a big big bonfire, and then siting up close to the fire for warmth. Of course if the the fire isn't too big and the ice is 14 inches thick, it might not be a problem.

[Charlie&Rose]

I meant a hotel or resort area.....

[slyfox2]

Originally Posted by marcandme

I meant a hotel or resort area.....

Not on MDI. We had a fire in 1947 that burned down more than 1/3 of the island forests, and many many houses. We tend to take that kind of thing very very seriously here.