EASTMAN, Ga. — Sitting by a nice, warm fire is a fun fall activity, but one Eastman man is using his fire pit to put meals on the table. A city ordinance though is stopping him from enjoying those freshly-cooked meals.
Jimmy Joines likes to cook the old fashion way.
"You get that flavor from the charcoal that you don't get from cooking it in an electric oven," Joines said.
Part of his kitchen sits in his front yard. All he needs is a pot and a hot fire.
It's how he cooks his meals, ever since his house burned down a year ago. Now, he's living in a parked trailer in the driveway, just off a main road in Eastman.
"It's almost like living in a fish bowl right here. Everybody in the county comes by here," he said.
One morning, some unexpected visitors stopped by.
"Probably cooking lunch or a late breakfast or something like that. Next thing I knew, the police department showed up," Joines said.
Eastman Police told him to put the fire in his yard out, because burning one violates city code.
"It basically says you can't have a fire in the street or in an alley or in an enclosure. It doesn't say anything about in your yard," he said.
Joines is right -- the Eastman ordinance doesn't elaborate on what is considered to be an "enclosure."
The ordinance says, "it shall be unlawful for any person, without permission first obtained from the fire chief, to make, build, or have any fire in the streets, alleys, or enclosures, in the city."
The Georgia Environmental Protection Division does allow fires in yards for warmth and recreational use. However, cities are allowed to adopt ordinances that restrict them.
"It's kind of depressing and disheartening," Joines said.
Police cited Joines on October 24 for his fire, but only because he asked them to. They were going to let him go with a warning.
"Just the way it's written up, is terribly flawed," he said.
He wants to take the ordinance to court, in hopes of changing it.
"Make it where people in town, if they want to have a little fire on their back porch, sit around and roast marshmallows, they'll be able to do so without the police department and fire department coming and hosing them down," Joines said.
The smoke may bother some people, but to Joines, it just means a delicious meal.
13WMAZ did reach out to the city of Eastman on Friday to ask about to ordinance, but have not heard back.
STAY ALERT | Download our FREE app now to receive breaking news and weather alerts. You can find the app on the Apple Store and Google Play.
STAY UPDATED | Click here to subscribe to our Midday Minute newsletter and receive the latest headlines and information in your inbox every day.
Have a news tip? Email news@13wmaz.com, or visit our Facebook page.