ST. GEORGE — Fire departments across Southern Utah, Littlefield, Arizona, and Mesquite, Nevada, responded to a total of 35 fireworks-related blazes of varying size and seriousness Monday night.
St. George City Fire Chief Robert Stoker told St. George News the St. George Fire Department had engines and brush trucks that were stationed at strategic locations throughout the city Monday night, which responded to a total of 25 fire calls from about 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. Tuesday morning.
Three fire departments also provided support to crews in St. George, including the Enterprise Fire Department, Dammeron Valley Fire and Rescue and the Diamond Valley Fire Department.
Nineteen of the reported fires were brush fires that primarily involved residential trees and landscaping that caught fire from fireworks, he said.
Three of the reported brush fires involved larger fires, one of which was a blaze reported off River Road that was likely started by a sky lantern, Stoker said, adding that several witnesses reported seeing the lantern lift off near Tamarisk Drive in the Bloomington Hills area then drift over to River Road where it caught the hill on fire.
Another one of the larger fires was burning near the water tank located on the hill above Interstate 15 near Exit 2, where fire crews found an extensive accumulation of burned fireworks when they arrived, Stoker said.
One of the fires involved a car that caught fire when a lit firework fell on it and started burning, he said.
Five reported fires were found in trash cans or dumpsters. But fortunately, Stoker said, none of the receptacles were near any of the homes, such as when a trash can is pushed up against a structure. In those cases, he said the fireworks can smolder for hours until they ignite. The heat from the fire is then transferred to the wall, which can ignite the siding and catch the home on fire.
Three of the fires were reported as structure fires, Stoker said, which ended up being brush fires that ignited near a structure.
“There was no structural damage reported with those fires,” he added.
There seemed to have been a spike in the overall number of illegal fireworks set off this year, he added, and many of the fires reported were in restricted zones, such as the fire burning near the water tower.
He also said there were two crews stationed at the KONY Country 4th of July Celebration held at Utah Tech University, where two of the fireworks malfunctioned. Instead of shooting in the air, they shot out sideways, he said, and both went out in the clear, open area that was set up prior to the show.
In the Santa Clara-Ivins area, the fire department responded to one call involving a brush fire that was started by a lit firework and quickly extinguished, according to a message posted on social media by Santa Clara-Ivins Fire and Rescue on Tuesday morning.
The post added that residents in Santa Clara and Ivins did an “excellent job” of mitigating the risks associated with firework-related blazes during the festivities on Monday, while other fire departments were busy throughout the county.
Washington City Fire Batallion Chief Dan Cazier said Washington City fire crews responded to five fires on Monday night, including two fires reported in residential yards that initially threatened structures by virtue of where they were burning. But those blazes were quickly extinguished before they had a chance to spread. Two of the five blazes were dumpster fires that started from discarded fireworks.
The fifth was a brush fire reported near the Washington City Community Center, where there are dozens of homes in close proximity, Cazier said, but that fire also was quickly extinguished.
To the north, Cedar City Fire Chief Mike Phillips said his crews responded to 11 fires that started from fireworks, a majority of which were dumpster fires that started from hot fireworks being thrown in dumpsters.
Years ago, Cedar City set up six designated areas in the city for residents to set off fireworks, which has been a well-working system, Phillips added.
The designated areas help confine the calls to a specific area that is also free of any brush, trees and structures.
No major incidents were reported this year, he said, similar to what has been reported throughout Washington County as well.
In Nevada, Mesquite Fire and Rescue crews responded to a total of four fires, Mesquite Fire and Rescue Capt. Spencer Lewis said, adding that three of the blazes were brush fires, while the fourth was a fire that started in a dumpster.
Lewis also said that fireworks-related numbers were fairly consistent with last year’s totals, adding that two of the blazes were already out by the time crews arrived.
In Arizona, the Beaver Dam-Littlefield Fire District responded to zero fireworks-related blazes, Battalion Chief Andre Ojeda with the Beaver Dam-Littlefield Fire District said.
“We had a quiet Fourth of July – thank goodness,” he added.
The battalion chief said crews did respond to what was initially reported as a brush fire off of I-15, but when they arrived, they were unable to locate anything burning.
With Pioneer Day just around the corner in Southern Utah, Stoker emphasized the importance of residents using caution when lighting off fireworks by making sure they are only ignited in areas clear of brush, trees, shrubs and homes and not set off in any restricted areas.
He said all used fireworks should be soaked in a bucket of water before being discarded in the trash, and residents should pull trash cans away from their homes before placing any used fireworks in them.
He also said heat and strong winds increase the risk of fire, including those that start from fireworks, so residents should be mindful of weather conditions before lighting off any fireworks to help to reduce the risk of starting a fire.
For more information on fireworks safety and restrictions go to the Utah Department of Public Safety.
Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2022, all rights reserved.