Pierce County firefighters have a quieter Fourth of July

Several Pierce County fire departments reported a quieter than usual Fourth of July.

But fireworks were believed responsible for two fires in Gig Harbor. And in Auburn, two men were flown to Harborview Medical Center with hand injuries as a result of fireworks accidents.

The Auburn incidents occurred near the Muckleshoot Casino. Valley Regional Fire Authority responded to two incidents there between 10:26 p.m. and 10:56 p.m.

One of those hurt was a man in his 40s; the other was a teenage boy, fire officials said.

In Gig Harbor, Fire & Medic One crews responded to two incidents believed sparked by fireworks. Neither involved injuries.

A little after 11:30 p.m. Monday, firefighters were called to Fox Island, where they found a pickup on fire in front of a garage. A room above the attached garage sustained smoke damage and broken windows.

The homeowner told firefighters the fire might have been caused by embers from fireworks the family had set off earlier in the evening, which ignited cardboard in the bed of the truck.

Damages were estimated at $65,000, according to fire officials.

Another fire, in a duplex off 88th Avenue Northwest in Gig Harbor, occurred about 2:30 a.m. Tuesday.

The family was awakened by the sound of crackling and saw flames coming from their detached garage, near where they had stacked used fireworks, fire officials said.

Damage to the garage was estimated at $50,000, and a car parked inside was damaged.

Elsewhere in Pierce County, firefighters reported a fairly quiet Fourth.

“The weather helped us out a lot,” said Marc Lash, East Pierce Fire and Rescue acting battalion chief. “There were about 10 small brush fires, but they were easily handled by our crews or were out by the time we arrived.”

Lash said there were no fireworks-related injuries in his jurisdiction, which includes about 90,000 citizens living in and around Bonney Lake, Sumner Lake Tapps, Tehaleh, South Prairie, Edgewood and Milton.

In Tacoma, one unit in a triplex in the Salishan development in East Tacoma caught on fire Monday night, but the cause was not fireworks related, Tacoma Fire spokesman Joe Meinecke said. There were no injuries.

This story was originally published July 5, 2016 at 7:17 PM with the headline "Pierce County firefighters have a quieter Fourth of July."