Beachgoers in Newport Beach will soon have their wood bonfires back.

The City Council on Tuesday voted 5-2 to accept an interim plan that returns at least 15 – and as many as 30 – wood-burning fire rings to Corona del Mar State Beach and an area near the Balboa Pier. It also passed a long-term, permanent plan changing all 60 city fire rings to wood burning.

The city will need about 10 days to get the fire rings in the correct configuration for the interim plan, City Manager Dave Kiff said.

As part of the permanent plan, which requires a development permit from the California Coastal Commission, 18 wood-burning rings would operate at Corona del Mar State Beach, 26 on the beaches on both sides of the Balboa Pier, nine near the Newport Pier and seven at the Newport Dunes. All fire rings would be spaced to comply with South Coast Air Quality Management District regulations.

The city implemented a charcoal-only rule in March to comply with new AQMD regulations on wood-burning fire rings that prohibited wood burning within 700 feet of homes or 100 feet of other rings. By spacing the fire rings farther apart, the city can meet those AQMD regulations and allow for wood burning.

Kurt Wiese, general counsel for AQMD, said at the meeting that both the interim plan and the permanent plan comply with the agency’s rules.

Kiff said the vote Tuesday could mean this issue has been put to bed at the City Council level, barring an unexpected action from the Coastal Commission.

“The council doesn’t need to hear this again,” he said.

Councilman Scott Peotter, who worked with city staff to develop a plan that would switch back to wood-burning rings while following rules set by the AQMD and the California Coastal Commission, said the city “had to do something” to comply with both agencies. The Commission had hinted it wouldn’t accept a charcoal-only plan, he said.

It will also save the city money in enforcement costs, Peotter said.

“The all-wood plan is not only I think most attractive to both residents and visitors but is also the most economical,” he said.

Residents spoke for more than an hour-and-a-half during the meeting and were nearly evenly split on the issue. Proponents of wood-burning rings called wood bonfires a longtime beach tradition, while opponents said their health is impacted by breathing in wood smoke.

Councilman Keith Curry, who voted against wood fire rings, said the charcoal-only option the city has used for the past 10 months is a good compromise between tradition and protecting nearby residents’ health.

“I just think anyone who denies the health impacts, particularly given the testimony … should be ashamed of themselves,” Curry said.

Until the Coastal Commission weighs in on the city’s permanent plan, at least 15 wood-burning rings will be spread between the eastern side of the Balboa Pier and Big Corona, all at least 50 feet apart. All other fire rings will remain charcoal-only.

Moving the rings for now should cost less than $2,000, Kiff said.