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Bonfires and "open" indoor fires.


f1steveuk
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We have just returned to our home in 24, and during a visit from (English) friends, the subject came up of garden bonfires.

Now, I have have always been aware of the do's and don'ts of  this in my area, and rarely have garden bonfires, but we were told that as of January 1st 2014, garden bonfires are banned completely, as are open indoor fires.

My reaction was that this, as usual, was a bad interpretation of a French Law.

So has the law changed, are ALL garden bonfires banned, 365 days of the year?

Does this also include indoor open fires?

What about Bar-b-ques??

After the "jokes" that were the breathalyser and speed camera on your sat navs "laws", I'm keen to see if this bonfire law is correct, or just a mish mash of grey areas!!!

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It dépends on whether there is un arrêt préfectoral in place, if so it will be displayed on the noticeboard at your Mairie.

English friends especially if they dont speak good French are not usually the best source of unconfused information. 

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http://www.quechoisir.org/equipement-de-la-maison/amenagement-chauffage/actualite-feux-de-cheminee-une-interdiction-qui-pose-question

I can't find anything more specific, but they appear to have banned open wood fires in the agglomeration Parisienne. Which, obviously, is a long way from 24..?
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CSV, help is there, call the Mairie AND the Prefecture. Our Mairie was not always that well informed to be honest.

You'll soon find out, from proper sources, if you want to know what the rules are where you live.

And I never ever hesitated to call the Prefecture, even when I only spoke very very limited french, I always found out what I needed to know.

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I think you'll find that the banning of open fires in the Paris area was stopped at the last moment - ie you can still have open fires .... sorry didn't keep the reference ... something to do with Segolene Royal and being Minister of Ecology, or Environment, or whatever ...

Can't believe open fires (inside) are banned throughout France, else they would not still be selling bois de chauffage, which they do happily in this neck of the woods.

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Wood burning stoves still require bois de chauffage tho Judith.

[quote user="Chancer"]

English friends especially if they dont speak good French are not usually the best source of unconfused information. 

[/quote]

Neither are the local french in some cases as they choose to interpret the law how they wish.

I think it was Q who disclosed that a lab in France tested a garden fire and it was deemed to produce the same level of pollution in an hour as a car after 18,000 kilometres.

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[quote user="Théière"]I think it was Q who disclosed that a lab in France tested a garden fire and it was deemed to produce the same level of pollution in an hour as a car after 18,000 kilometres.

[/quote]

Particularly if it's bonfires such as an ex-neighbour of ours used to burn - lots of polystyrene and plastic with great clouds of thick black smoke!
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This source is always on the ball, well nearly always, well sometimes??

http://www.connexionfrance.com/france-paris-ile-de-ban-open-fires-cancelled-overturned-16489-view-article.html

As to the bonfires, our neighbour always used to have bonfires and burn some really wet leafy stuff and you couldn't see a hand behind your head? Now he has bit the bullet and bought a trailer and doesn't have bonfires any more. The rule here seems to be that you can have them, but you need to apply for a permit to do so. Not sure if that comes from the Mairie or Prefecture though. Ask and you will know??

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We are in the Dordogne and we just received the annual municipal bulletin that is sent out at the beginning of every year with all the local information. It states in regards to bonfires (destruction des végétaux par le feu) that they are forbidden from 15 February through 15 May and then again from 15 June through 15 October.

So it is allowed for short windows but to be honest we always forget what these are and think most of our neighbours do as well. Our village is quite rural though so perhaps it does vary throughout the department.
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Thanks for the replies, and to be honest, the answers as much as expected! As I said, as with te breathalyser and speed camera on the sat nav laws, so full of grey areas, the cynic in me says it's because the powers that be can do what they want when you have interpreted the laws the way we think they are supposed to be!!

Much as the laws I have alluded to, out Marie scratched his head and didn't know, our French neighbours aren't certain, and our English friends are confused. Pretty much par for the course!!

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