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Some outdoor cooks are smokin' hot about a new Detroit ban on front porch grilling with charcoal, propane or wood. They feel burned by an outdoor fire code update by the city council that limits grilling to yards, patios and rear decks.
"The whole idea is to keep it away from the house itself,” Deputy Fire Commissioner Dave Fornell tells Nicquel Terry of The Detroit News. “It may be a little inconvenient for some, but it does make things much safer."
Tipped-over porch grills or flames flaring up have ignited houses, a city official says. (Image from Deposit Photos)
Tipped-over porch grills or flames flaring up have ignited houses, he adds. His department will send fire inspectors when neighbors complain about front porch cookouts. Repeat violators can be fined.
Terry speaks with a critic of the change, and the paper hears from a handful of others among nearly 100 comments. Most readers applaud the move.
"If that's the way you like to do your [grilling], that’s fine. You shouldn’t be made to [switch],” west-sider Ilene Franks of Oakman Boulevard tells the reporter.
These are among comments under her article:
- Really? Grilling brings families together. I seriously doubt anyone has a raging fire going. Low and slow. The whole notion is ludicrous! No more nanny state! This newest ordinance is moronic! It borders on insanity! -- Adam Andrews [from three comments]
- So much for America being the land of the free. Maybe we should keep the City Council on front porches and away from government chambers, where they seem to do the most harm. -- Perry Koslowski
- What about apartment buildings with balconies? I see grills on these frequently. -- David Ternes
- The law is a clear violation of private property rights. -- Gregory Creswell
- Government overreach once again. -- Joe Phenorkee ·
- Detroit appears to have forgotten it's part of America and not France. "Give me porch grilling or give me death!" -- Brian Johnson
