A false alarm went off on Alki Beach last week when Seattle Parks and Recreation was reported to be considering limiting or banning beach bonfires to help the mayor's crusade to halt global warming.

However, Parks and Recreation backed off Thursday with a new memo nixing the proposed ban which would have included a public relations campaign to inform people about the negative impact of beach-fire carbon emissions.

The Parks staff had also considered recommending charging fees for bonfires in 2009, if not eliminating them.

"It's a time to be with family," said Moussa Samb from Queen Anne who accompanied his loved ones around the warmth of their Alki bonfire as he stoked it with flattened cardboard boxes. "It would be a bad thing to ban this."

Down the beach were 30 graduates from Legacy Homeschool Center Cooperative in Redmond who were celebrating while toasting s'mores, roasting hot dogs, and drinking coffee while huddled around their bonfire.

"I don't think it's going to affect CO2 gases much considering how much a fire puts out compared to an average car on the street," said Kyle Clark, 18, of North Bend, and a Legacy graduate. "I prefer the fires stay."

"With all of the industry greenhouse gases will just increase," said Clark's friend, Lauren Reed of Issaquah. "These fires aren't the problem. Traditionally fires have always had positive connotations with scouts and family campouts. If you want to get into the Native American culture fire is like a historical icon."

"All I've seen is a good bonding time here," said Elisabeth Ward, a graduate from Monroe. "No one is making trouble here. The bonfire is a good place to build community, friendships, and share stories."

Steve Shay may be contacted at steves@robinsonnews.com