ST. CHARLES PARISH, La. -- Bonfires along the Mississippi River levees are supposed to light the way for Papa Noel, but, last Christmas Eve, Steve and Anne Hafkesbring say the large bonfire next door, nearly burned down their home on River Road in St. Rose.
"It was like embers drifting up in the air and they were just landing on my house and on my clothes and the smoke was unbelievable and it inundated the inside of my home," Steve Hafkesbring said. "This is what I got for Christmas last year, what I got is three days of cleaning. We had to clean everything we own that was outside."
The Hafkesbrings say their neighbor's bonfire was 25 feet tall, 25 feet wide and less than 100 feet from their home.
Anne Hafkesbring says it’s not about the neighbors and their family tradition, it's about safety.
"Something could have seriously happened with this one and we could be homeless," she said. "That's what kind of sprung us into action."
The Hafkesbrings urged St. Charles Parish leaders to enact new safety precautions for bonfires and they did.
Beginning this Christmas Eve, bonfires must be 150 feet from a house or other structure and 50 feet from the adjacent property line.
Structures may not be burned higher than 10 feet or have a base wider than 15 feet.
They must be attended by someone 21-years-or-older and be completely extinguished within 24 hours of being lit.
Some of the new restrictions can be waived with the permission of neighbors.
"You might have a great time with your bonfire, but your neighbors might not feel very safe," St. Charles Parish spokesman Tristan Babin said. "With these provisions, we feel everyone is going to be a lot happier and more secure."
Fire officials say when it comes to big bonfires, it's best to leave it to those who know what they're doing.
There will be a lot of elaborate bonfires to look at on the levees, up and down the Mississippi in the River Parishes on Christmas Eve.
Maurice Rousseve and his team, including St. John Parish firefighter Alfred Cunningham built one large bonfire.
"Everybody is welcome to come out and take pictures with their family and their kids and have a fun time with us out here," Rousseve said.
"If anybody comes to St. John for Christmas Eve you're going to see, there will be thousands of people out here," Cunningham said. "It's going to be packed, all the way down the levee."
Back in St. Charles Parish, if you want to give the Christmas tradition a try yourself and don't follow the new rules, you could face a fine of up to $500.