Chris Lister, owner of Kismet Cabana, said that he and his staff had to deal with seven separate incidents last year and is now urging people to use their common sense in the run-up to summer.
And the former El Tico head chef said the most recent incident had the potential to be much worse.
‘They put it [the barbecue] in the bin upside-down so we were not able to put water on it to put it out. As soon as we got a shovel underneath it and flipped it over, it ignited and just went whoosh – it was lucky we had a bucket of water there,’ he said.
‘Someone called the Fire Service but if we had not put it out I think all of the boats in the boatyard could have gone up.
‘People just need to get a bucket of water, pour it over, wait two minutes and then put it in the bin – it is just common sense.’
Mr Lister added that he was now considering providing a metal bin for people to put their coals in along with a water bucket which could be filled from the beach shower nearby.
And he warned that there could be a more serious incident if barbecues continued to be disposed of irresponsibly.
‘If people do not put their barbecues out there could be a more serious incident. If we close at 3pm and a barbecue starts smoking in a bin at 5pm, there will not be anyone here to spot it,’ he said.
‘All the houses here have their lounges at the back and if there is no one coming out of the Smugglers Inn, no one will see it.’
More information on barbecue safety is available by visiting gov.je/StayingSafe/FireSafety and following the links to ‘barbecues and patio heaters: fire safety advice’.
