Combustible materials, flaming grills a bad mix

I know that a lot of people will be grilling and barbecuing this holiday, and I was told that it's against the law for us to use our grill on our balcony. We live in an apartment complex. True?

So if your balcony, porch or lanai - or apartment building or house - is wood, common sense dictates no open flames. And take that turkey way out in the open if you want to fry up the bird.We live in the flight pattern for Colorado Springs Airport. On June 25 a Southwest Airlines plane was landing at the airport. Since SW does not fly out of here, what's up?__ANSWER: Planes were diverted here because of the weather. On June 25, there were five tornadoes spotted in the Denver area, and one damaged a mall near E-470. Because of the proximity to Denver International Airport, some incoming planes from a number of airlines were diverted to Colorado Springs, where the weather was a little nicer. This has happened on other occasions, too, including during DIA ice and blizzard conditions.The Fire Department's Web site on www.springs gov.com says that charcoal grills, smokers and wood cookers have caused several apartment fires locally.- Cheryl J.- BillANSWER: If apartment decks or balconies are constructed of combustible material, the city fire code doesn't allow certain types of cooking devices: charcoal grills, solid-fuel cooking appliances, smokers, oil fryers, hibachis and any other type of open-flame cooking device. None of these can be used within 10 feet of any combustible construction.So grill safely and have a happy Fourth.Puzzled about something in our area? Send questions to linda.navarro@gazette.com with "Column Question" in the subject line; mail to "Did You Ever Wonder?," P.O. Box 1779, Colorado Springs 80901; blog at gazette.com. Queries must be signed.Why our airport?If you have an electric grill or a gas grill with a tank size of 20 pounds or less, you can show off your barbecuing skills to your heart's content. No apartment restrictions.

Puzzled about something in our area? Send questions to linda.navarro@gazette.com with "Column Question" in the subject line; mail to "Did You Ever Wonder?," P.O. Box 1779, Colorado Springs 80901; blog at gazette.com. Queries must be signed.