PIERCE COUNTY, Wash. — The Fourth of July is almost here and if you plan on setting off fireworks, you need to be sure to check your local laws.
At-home fireworks are banned in several cities and counties in western Washington, while others have restrictions in place on what days and hours you can use them.
At West Pierce County Fire and Rescue, crews always see an increase in calls the week of the Fourth of July. They said despite rules being in place for what areas and days fireworks are allowed, people don't always follow them.
So far in 2024, Captain Nick Harris said their department hasn’t had to respond to many brush fires, but said they generally see more in the late summer months.
“The season is going to get busier and busier,” said Harris. “July is always busier than June, and generally August is always busier than July.”
This Fourth of July they are hoping people who set off at-home fireworks follow their local restrictions and use them safely to prevent getting hurt.
“Injuries that we see are from misuse,” said Harris. “Unfortunately, children that are too young to be using them get hurt doing that.”
He also wants people to be safe in order to not start fires.
“Any of the aerial fireworks you lose control of, they land anywhere and everywhere and don't immediately set a fire off. Sometimes they do, but frequently the firework that I lost, that I launched, will start a fire hours later,” said Harris.
With the dry weather, using fireworks safely is especially important.
“They'll spread fast, certainly with the with the dry weather. But you've got wind that's going to move things faster than we can keep up with frequently,” said Harris. “And in a season when there's lots of fires going on, the resources are thin.”
He says it’s important to remember how quickly a fire can escalate.
“People are going from a brush fire on the side of the freeway into, you know, we lost our house, to we lost a neighborhood,” said Harris
He advises people to look up your county or city's firework restrictions and always be as safe as possible as we approach the Fourth of July.
“With the opportunity to have a lot of fun, people need to be responsible and take care of themselves, take care of their families,” said Harris. “Be safe and recognize the consequences that that come with having fun.”
Harris said not only do they see children being injured by fireworks, but they also see injuries caused by people using fireworks while they are intoxicated.