Beach fire season at Alki officially starts tonight

| Safety | West Seattle beaches | West Seattle news

As announced last month, tonight’s the official start of beach-fire season at Alki. Here are the rules published by Seattle Parks:

Starting Friday, May 22, 2026, beach fires will be permitted at designated fire pits at Alki Beach and Golden Gardens seven days a week on a first come, first served basis. Bringing your own fire pit is not allowed, and no propane fire pits/rings are allowed.

-Fires must be extinguished by 10 p.m.
-Fires allowed 7 days a week starting Friday, May 22 through Tuesday, September 7.
-Staff will be on-site to manage and assist with putting out fires at 10 p.m.
-Parking lot gates will be locked and the park will close at 10:30 p.m. for summer hours.
-Please only burn clean (natural, bare, dry cord-wood) wood and douse your fire completely before leaving.
-Light a fire ONLY in one of the installed fire containers
-Use only clean, dry firewood
-Please douse your fire with water, not sand
-Fires are not allowed during air pollution alerts; we will post sign
-Please don’t remove any materials from the park, beach or dunes
-Please dispose of trash and ashes in the containers provided for each. (SMC 18.12.260)
-Be considerate of others–please, no loud or amplified music! (SMC 18.12.170)
-Remember, no alcohol or smoking are allowed, and parks are drug-free zones.
-Beach fire rules are outlined in detail in the Seattle Municipal Code section 18.12.270 and in our Beach Fires Policy.

If you see an illegal fire, call 911. For current burn ban and air quality questions, contact Puget Sound Clean Air Agency.

Fire pits at Golden Gardens and Alki are unlocked by 5:30 p.m. Please extinguish all beach fires (using water, not sand) by 10 p.m. in order to ensure that all fires are completely extinguished in ample time before the park’s closure.

Jay May 22, 2026 (9:58 am)

Whew, glad we made it through another rainy season without a dangerous beach fire. It would be awful to have that on a cold, dark, wet night. Now that it’s hot and dry let’s have some fires! But seriously, I’m surprised that this Durkan policy from the Alki NIMBYs is still around. I used to love winter evenings with a fire on Alki, especially with my propane fire pit that I’d bring with a little pull wagon. It’s really sad to have lost that. I don’t think the older somewhat conservative folks who spend their evenings plugged into TVs and other devices really appreciate how families and outdoorsy people interact with Seattle parks.

AmyT May 22, 2026 (2:40 pm)

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This is ridiculous how is your own propane fire pit a danger?
- Neighbor May 24, 2026 (5:10 am)
  
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  It’s not. This is a Durkan era overreaction to large groups of people misbehaving on the beach. It was an excuse for the cops to shut things down before they got out of hand.

HS May 22, 2026 (12:29 pm)

I came to write YAY!! Then I read Jays downer comment. Why is it always “Why can’t I do what I want, when and where I want?” in these comment sections?

Rob May 22, 2026 (2:53 pm)

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You missed to point. It’s not what I want but what makes sense. Bon fire on a cold winters night or a hot summers night. Get it.
- HS May 23, 2026 (8:03 am)
  
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  I didn’t miss the point. We live in a society. Societies have rules. Grow up.
  - Neighbor May 24, 2026 (5:06 am)
    
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    We live in a democracy, we can change the rules when they don’t make sense. Why are you being so hostile to a perfectly reasonable comment?
  - Hotfoot May 24, 2026 (8:34 am)
    
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    There are multiple beach fire issues. In the past there were no fire pits and smoldering embers burned multiple kids feet. People still build fires in the sand and leave them smoldering throughout the year. I see people building bonfires out of toxic painted and pressure treated wood. I see large driftwood logs started on fire. I’ve seen cedar bench boards and sign posts used for bonfires.

Rhonda May 22, 2026 (1:21 pm)

Beach fires at Alki should be allowed 365 days a year except during periods of bad air quality.

EchoMike May 22, 2026 (6:11 pm)

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I would argue that they should be allowed doubly during periods of bad air quality.
Can someone explain to me why fires are not permitted during the winter months? It really seems a bit counter-intuitive at first glance, so was curious what rationale drove that regulation.
- Neighbor May 24, 2026 (5:08 am)
  
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  Why would we want to encourage beach fires when there’s bad air quality?