Scituate officials have banned bonfires in addition to banning fireworks this summer after a radio caught fire in a house in Humarock in March, a blaze that spread and damaged three other homes. The fire, which caused an estimated $3 million in damage, made officials reexamine the tradition of bonfires on Humarock Beach. At their meeting Tuesday night, selectmen met with fire and police personnel, who decided it would be best to halt the tradition townwide. “It has been going on for many generations, but we’ve been lucky . . . that someone hasn’t fallen in [to a bonfire] or personal property hasn’t been damaged. Maybe we should quit while we’re ahead and stop any bonfires,” Selectman Shawn Harris said. Anyone stockpiling wood in the area will be asked to remove it. Additionally, Humarock will see an increased police presence to enforce the new regulation, and anyone found to have started a fire will be arrested, Scituate officials said.
