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A public bin at Vazon has melted into the ground after someone put a still-hot disposable barbecue, or cigarette butt, in it.
Guernsey Fire & Rescue Service said it happened on Tuesday evening.
Tuesday saw a top temperature of 20c, with a mid afternoon high tide. Combined this means the beaches were busy with many people spending the evening on the coast despite some cloud cover.
In a post shared to social media, the Fire & Rescue service said they are on high alert when the weather is good like it has been this week.
"When the weather heats up, we at Guernsey Fire & Rescue always have to be on higher alert because of the potential for fires like these or vegetation fires, but simple good practice can prevent many fires from starting in the first place."
The Fire & Rescue Service warned that fires like this one on Tuesday - which it suspects was caused by "a still-hot disposable barbeque", "or cigarette butts being put in the bin", or "the large amount of smashed glass found nearby" - are particularly risky as they can easily spread.
"Fires like this can spread onto local surrounding vegetation and grass and could cause serious damage if they get out of control", the post warned.
"Don’t leave glass in the sunlight, don’t flick cigarettes into vegetation, and don’t dispose of hot beach barbeques. We’d urge the public to be sensible with anything which may start a fire. #BeFireSmart."
Pictured: Disposable barbecues have been responsible for melting bins in the past.
While it's not possible to say that a disposable barbecue caused the bin at Vazon to melt, they have previously been confirmed as the cause when similar events have happened.
In 2020, three fires related to disposable barbecues were reported within a week. They caused a public bin to melt at Pembroke and a gorse fire at Jerbourg, while the third was discovered after fire debris was left along the nature trail at Saumarez Park.
At the time the following advice was issued for anyone still wanting to use the throwaway cooking devices.
For gas barbecues, the Fire & Rescue Service suggested:
In the case of an emergency, always call 999.
Earlier this summer, the States took pre-emptive steps to remind the public of basic beach barbecue safety rules.
By law, they are only allowed on Guernsey's north and west coast beaches, excluding Richmond, and they should only be lit after 17:00 and not after midnight, with fires placed below the high tide mark on sand only.
Barbecues involving more than 50 people are legally classed as an event and a permit must be applied for.
The States also said people should also be mindful of other on the beach, use a bowl or bucket, safely extinguish the fire and dispose of its responsibility.
Use "common sense" at barbecues!
Three beach BBQ fires in past week
Hot embers from barbecues set light to coastal bins
Police warning after Jerbourg BBQ fire
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