Clark County fire agencies responded to dozens of fireworks-related blazes over July 4 weekend
Clark County fire agencies responded to dozens of fireworks-related fires and at least two injuries over the Fourth of July weekend.
While cooler, wetter weather leading up to the holiday helped limit severe incidents in some jurisdictions, fireworks and improperly extinguished recreational fires kept crews busy and resulted in property damage.
According to emergency dispatch logs, between June 28 and July 6, Clark Regional Emergency Services Agency received about 400 fireworks complaints.
Between July 3-5, Clark County Fire District 6, which covers the unincorporated communities near Vancouver, including Hazel Dell, Felida and Salmon Creek, responded to a high volume of fireworks-related activity, including 27 grass and bark dust fires, six house fires, three dumpster fires, two vehicle fires and two burning or fireworks complaints. Capt. Ryan Reese said crews also responded to one explosion injury.
Clark-Cowlitz Fire Rescue, which serves La Center, Ridgefield, Woodland and nearby communities in Clark and Cowlitz counties, responded to 76 calls between July 3 and July 5. Of those, 20 were fire calls and one involved a burn injury related to fireworks, Assistant Chief Mike Jackson said. Three of the fire calls were reported as structure fires. While two were minor, one fire damaged two homes in Ridgefield, Jackson said.
Clark County Fire Marshal Donna Goddard said a comprehensive fireworks report will be compiled and presented to the county council in September. But preliminary data for unincorporated Clark County shows the fire marshal's office responded to six calls linked to fireworks between June 28 and July 5, Goddard said. These included two vegetation fires and four minor fires involving a dumpster, a fence and two portable toilets.
The Vancouver Fire Marshal's Office could not be reached for the number of fireworks-related fires within Vancouver city limits and citations issued.
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