To reply to the original question: When I was young..about 60 years ago, it was legal to burn fallen leaves in the gutter of the street. (Wichita, Kansas)The practice was stopped, but it was still legal for a few more years to burn them in backyard burners, such as 55 gallon oil drums and firepits. My father had built a brick & block cooking grill, and we raked leaves into it. That too was soon outlawed, but I still remember the smell of burning leaves as part of Autumn.