Fourth of July fireworks keep WA firefighters busy

Fourth of July fireworks keep firefighters busy around western WA

Fourth of July fireworks continue to keep fire departments across western Washington busy, sparking several fires throughout the area on Thursday.

RENTON, Wash. - Fourth of July fireworks continue to keep fire departments across our area busy. It started with several fires sparking throughout western Washington on Thursday.

"The flames went straight up into the air," said Michael Mitchell. "It was hot."

Mitchell described a small brush fire that erupted just a few feet away from the back of his apartment building in Renton off 2000 Benson Road South. It happened around 4 p.m.

Renton Police say it was a result of people playing with fireworks. Some residents at the Heritage Hill Apartments were forced to evacuate twice due to the flames.

"It was very thick yellow white smoke," said one tenant. "It was right behind our building."

Mitchell told FOX 13 the fire was so intense there was smoke in his apartment.

"It was so bad to the point where I thought it was in my apartment," he said. "I was on the top floor, I can’t imagine the people on the bottom floor."

No injuries were reported in the Renton fire, and there have been no reported arrests.

In the North Sound, Snohomish Regional Fire & Rescue said crews responded to dozens of fire calls, many related to fireworks.

Around 7 p.m., crews responded to a fire on 89th Avenue Southeast at 8th Street Southeast.

Neighbors told FOX 13 they saw someone light a mortar-style firework. That firework hit a tree, engulfing it in flames and spreading to the rooftop of a home.

"It was a firework-related incident where the firework exploded," said Public Information Officer Peter Mongillo. "A lot of the fireworks wind up in trees like the one behind us and the fire shoots up into the attic. Once the fire gets up in the attic it just starts spreading."

No injuries were reported, but the family living inside the home was displaced. The American Red Cross is assisting.

Just after 10 p.m. in Lake Stevens, crews also responded to a fire on the 1400 block of 85th Drive Northeast.

Snohomish Regional Fire & Rescue said a wall of arborvitae trees went up in flames close to the house and a vehicle.

"These trees are like a tinderbox," said Mongillo. "We’ve been very busy."

Crews also responded to dumpster fires, including a trash fire in Boulder Park around 12:24 a.m.

"We appreciate the effort to clean up," a fire official said on social media. "But they did not soak the spent fireworks. Always soak your spent fireworks."

With fireworks expected to last through the weekend, fire officials and fire victims are asking the public to think twice about putting on their own show.

"If there are people out there still playing with fireworks, you’re going to start fires and you’re going to cause injuries," said Mongillo. "At what cost? The cost is going to be that of innocent people’s homes."