Fewer fireworks incidents reported

MOSES LAKE - Fire departments across the region kept busy throughout the Fourth of July weekend, although fireworks related calls were down from last year.

From 10 p.m. Friday through 3 a.m. Tuesday, 29 fires were reported within Grant County, according to Kyle Foreman with Grant County Emergency Management. It's not known how many were directly attributed to fireworks.

All but one were grass fires.

A single structure fire took place early Sunday morning on Larson Boulevard north of Moses Lake.

The small blaze started in a bush next to a duplex and was determined to be caused by fireworks, according to Grant County Fire District 5 Chief Scott Clendenin. The bush fire spread to an overhang on the house but crews knocked the blaze down from the outside before flames entered the attic.

"It's all about that defendable space we're always talking about," Clendenin said, referring to the 30 feet of clear area recommended to assure homes are protected from fire.

Fire district 5 crews were called back to the house the following day after a breaker caused a small electrical fire to ignite, Clendenin said.

Grant County Fire District 5 responded to 11 small grass fires and assisted on one larger fire just south of Wilson Creek. Clendenin said it burned about 200 acres. Fireworks are suspected as the cause.

"It could have been a much bigger fire but lucky for us the wind was down," Clendenin said. "We just thank the public and visitors for being responsible this year, it really helped out fire personnel."

In Adams County, fire district 5 crews contained three fireworks-related incidents, according to Fire Chief Gary Lebacken. There were two minor grass fires and another resulting in a shop burning down. Lebacken said it was a bit busier this year than last for the district.

Other regional fire departments had fewer calls.

The Ephrata Fire Department had no fireworks-related calls over the long weekend, according to Deputy Chief Anthony Graaff.

Grant County Fire District 3 Chief Don Fortier said there were just four minor brush fires in the district.

"I'm pleased to report we had zero fireworks-related incidents," said Moses Lake Fire Chief Tom Taylor, crediting the city's fireworks ban and a wet spring.

During last year's Fourth of July, 56 fire related incidents were reported throughout Grant County during a 24-hour period alone, Foreman said. Most of the fires were found to be related to careless use of fireworks, as well as hot, dry and windy conditions.

Tuesday afternoon proved fire danger posed by errant fireworks is not over.

Grant County Fire District 5 crews quickly extinguished a small fireworks caused blaze near Eastlake Drive in Moses Lake.

At the same time, around 2:30 p.m., another fire scorched a large area of grass near Montlake Park in Moses Lake, stopping short of train tracks near a dry bank topped by several homes.

The cause of the fire was not immediately known, although Moses Lake Assistant Fire Chief Brett Bastian did not rule out fireworks as a possible cause, saying kids were seen in the area shortly before the fire began.