Bonfire Safety Is Key During Summer Months

DETROIT (WWJ) - The Fourth of July is a reminder to be safe when using fireworks, but don't forget to play it safe when it comes to another summer tradition -- the beach bonfire.

It's fun to spend an evening on the beach sitting around a bonfire with family and friends. When the night is over many people put the fire out by pouring sand on it. But that doesn't mean the area is safe says Beaumont pediatric emergency doctor Kelly Levasseur

Levasseur said the fire can sometimes run hours after you think it's out.

"That wood is still burning a little bit so I've had kids like the next day will go walk over it and get second degree, maybe third degree burns on the bottom of their feet," Levasseur told WWJ health report Deanna Lites.

Lavassur added that after you put the bonfire out, put rocks around the area so people will know where it was and they'll know to avoid that part of the beach the next day.