Can you tell me the width of the sides of the firepit? Looks to be less than 12" and I wonder if less than 12" will still allow for comfortable distance from the fire for feet to rest. Thanks in advance.

Actually those sides are 16" - enough to set a dinner plate on with room to spare. It was designed so that it would be comfortable to sit on the bench with your feet on the top outside corner of the fire pit. It is warm not smoking hot. Also this is a linear gas burner not a roaring wood fire. In our area we can't actually burn wood fires because of air quality concerns.