Public Bonfires Banned in Saudi Arabia

Saudi authorities have banned bonfires in gardens and other public places for safety reasons and offenders will be fined, Sabq reported on Saturday.

The first-time violation of the ban is punishable by SR 100 and the fine will be doubled to SR 200 if repeated, the Saudi Minister for Municipal and Rural Affairs said.

The practice of setting off fires for cooking in public areas is common in Saudi Arabia as part of outings.

Last September Saudi Arabia introduced a new public decency law, which identified 19 offences as punishable by fines.