Village will ban outdoor furnaces

Warwick — There was not public input at the village’s hearing Monday night on regulating outdoor furnaces except from the board members themselves. Trustee Roger Metzger said he had many concerns with allowing outdoor furnaces in the village, not the least of which is the air quality. Trustee Stephen Pascal agreed, saying they can be very dangerous. Trustee Bill Iurato also concurred. And just like that, the public hearing was closed and the board said it would amend a law to include prohibiting these outdoor furnaces. It is not surprising, though. These outdoor furnaces are becoming common in more rural areas, not in densely populated villages. The town of Warwick recently passed its own local law regulating where the burners can be placed and that they be placed only on lots of three acres or more in specified zones. It also sets dates for when they can be used. The village had a proposed law similar to the town’s but with lesser setbacks from neighboring properties. “I have many concerns with this,” said Metzger. “I’m worried about air quality. We’d be putting these on half acre lots. If there is an air inversion, that would not be good for the Village of Warwick. I don’t think it should be adopted.” Pascal noted that these furnaces burn logs up to eight feet in length and called them “very dangerous.” He discussed a recent fire in Deer Park where one of these outdoor furnaces was installed inside a house and exploded. “They (Deer Park) had no ordinance,” Pascal said. “People were home and the house burned to the ground. I think they should be prohibited in the village. That’s my opinion.” Iurato, too, said the proposed 50-foot setback from neighboring houses was just too close. “I don’t agree with this at all,” he said, referring to the proposal. Now, the village will amend the open burning law prohibiting outdoor furnaces at its next meeting. In New York State, many local municipalities are developing regulations for the boilers. Many others have banned their use completely. The Attorney General’s report states that five towns have regulations on their books regarding setbacks, chimney height, population density and terrain, while 11 have banned their use completely.