Timely reminders from Ada County Sheriff’s Office after teens start blaze with fireworks

A group of teenagers setting off fireworks ignited a 100-acre blaze last Friday near Southeast Boise, according to a news release from the Ada County Sheriff’s Office.

The grass fire started at around 4 p.m. in the area of E. Plexi Court and S. Leeds Lane near the Boise River when a 16-year-old launched a mortar-style firework. The juvenile was with several friends at the time of the incident, and they immediately called 911 to report the fire.

The teens attempted to extinguish the blaze but were unsuccessful.

The Bureau of Land Management responded to the fire with one overhead, four engines, one dozer, one water tender, one helicopter and one fire investigator, according to a Facebook post from BLM. It was contained by 6 p.m.

The juvenile was cited and released for misdemeanor firing timber or prairie land .

Setting off fireworks on BLM land is prohibited, and the Sheriff’s Office reminded residents that the Ada County fireworks ban prohibits the use of any fireworks in unincorporated areas outside of fire protection districts . Violators could be charged with a misdemeanor.

The only fireworks that are legal in Idaho are “nonaerial common fireworks,” which excludes devices containing explosive material that will burn when ignited, such as M-80s and cherry bombs ; fireworks that leave the ground of their own accord, such as sky and bottle rockets; or fireworks that emit sparks more than 20 feet vertically, the Idaho Statesman has previously reported.