Firefighters urge caution as people being to celebrate Fourth of July

As the majority of the State of Washington remains in varying levels of drought this Fourth of July, firefighters are urging people to exercise caution during celebrations.

In 2023, Seattle Fire responded to 58 fireworks-related calls. Across the state in 2022, the State Fire Marshal’s office reported more than 500 fireworks-related fires and injuries.

“We commonly see many fires that get their start right around the Fourth of July,” said Ryan Rodruck, the Wildfire Communications Manager for the Washington Department of Natural Resources.

Rodruck says the safest way to celebrate the holiday is to leave the fireworks to the professionals. This year, DNR has counted around 300 wildfires that have begun, with two fires the department considers “large” burning in the state.

In 2023, for the first time, more fires were reported on the west side of the Cascades, than the east.

“[I] believe that this was probably not an anomaly,” DNR Commissioner Hilary Franz said. “But the beginning, where we are going to see more fires west of the Cascades and more of them in more urban or densely populated areas.”

Franz visited the scar of the McEwan Fire in Mason County this week. The fire began on the Fourth of July last year and burned about 300 acres, forcing people to evacuate from their homes nearby.

The charred trees now contrasted with long, growing green grass this summer. Central Mason Fire & EMS Chief Jeff Snyder worries recent moisture and early summer green grass will give people a false sense of security, especially as heat is expected to build through the weekend.

“By the end of the weekend, these fuels are going to be dried out,” Snyder said.

Many cities and areas have banned fireworks. Snyder acknowledges that it’s hard to stop everyone from lighting off fireworks, so he hopes people at least do so safely.

He and DNR urge people to have a hose ready to go nearby, douse and soak all fireworks in water to prevent them from reigniting, and don’t light off fireworks near anything flammable, including dry grass, trees, buildings, and homes.

DNR reports that nearly 90 percent of wildfires are caused by humans, giving Franz hope that fire season could become more manageable in the future.

“If it’s human caused, then we do have the power to create change and prevent these fires in the first place,” Snyder said.