‘Our worst night’: Las Vegas sees big jump in July 4th fireworks fires
At least three people suffered burns linked to July Fourth fireworks, which were blamed for a huge increase in fires from Tuesday to Wednesday compared to the same time last year, Clark County’s fire chief said.
A 39-year-old man had severe burns to his face and a child and an elderly man were also scorched by pyrotechnics, according to Chief John Steinbeck.
More than 100 fires, from trees, brush and trash cans to single family homes, were touched off in the Las Vegas Valley during the time the Fire Department monitors blazes over the Independence Day celebration — from noon July 4 to noon July 5, Steinbeck said.
The number of fires this year increased 1,400 percent from the same holiday period in 2022, he said.
Illegal fireworks
“We know that the bulk of the fires that were reported last night were from fireworks,” Steinbeck said.
That is, illegal fireworks — the kind that fly and explode in the air — not the so-called “safe and sane” stationary type that people may buy legally in the county, Steinbeck said.
“We didn’t have any (fires) that I know of that are attributed to safe and sane fireworks,” he said. “The majority of the fires that we go on are because a firework traveled into an area. Safe and sane when used properly stay right where you put it.”
Steinbeck, at a news conference at Fire Station 18 at 575 E. Flamingo Road, praised the Metropolitan Police Department for keeping eye on local highways leading to stores in Nye County and the Moapa Paiute Travel Plaza that sell fireworks that are not legal in the county.
Las Vegas police confiscated more than 2,500 pounds of illegal fireworks this year, he said.
Steinbeck sent out six teams of fire inspectors who issued 61 citations over the July Fourth holiday to people with unlawful pyrotechnics, which Steinbeck said includes firecrackers, bottle rockets, mortars and hand-held, sparks-shooting Roman Candles.
He said that he “loves celebrating America” but that “there’s a reason why the fifth of July is my favorite day.”
“It’s just a bad night for the fire department,” he said of July Fourth. “It’s our worst night.”
The peak time for Independence Day firework detonations, and possible fires, is 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. the next day, during which “I’ve got crews going all over the place, just totally backed up,” he said.
Fireworks complaints
County fire officials reported receiving 10,199 fireworks complaints on Tuesday, including 531 from the 89123 ZIP code in the southwest valley, 388 complaints from the 89117 ZIP code in western Las Vegas, and 485 complaints reported in the 89108 ZIP code in the northwest.
The seven authorized professional shows in the valley that shot exploding fireworks into the air Tuesday night “went off without a hitch,” he said. “We didn’t have any injuries.”
The department also licensed more than 100 booths selling safe and sane fireworks, Steinbeck said.
Fires erupt
Fires continued to erupt in the valley early Wednesday, spilling over from the holiday when firefighters had to contend with nearly 100 conflagrations.
All four of the fires Wednesday morning involved buildings, compared with nine building fires and 90 others that burned brush, dumpsters and trash cans, wash areas or empty lots on Independence Day, according to county fire.
The first fire reported on Wednesday was at 12:20 a.m. at a two-story home at 11003 Royal Highlands St. just east of Southern Highlands Parkway in southwest Las Vegas, Steinbeck said.
The roof was fully engulfed before the flames were extinguished by a contingent of 36 firefighters, five engine companies, two ladder trucks, two rescue units and two chief officers, he reported.
No one was injured, and the cause of the fire is under investigation, he stated.
At 2:09 a.m., a caller informed dispatch about a fire at a large two story home at 3753 Forestcrest Drive near South Sandhill Road and East Harmon Avenue, said Kelly Blackmon, the county’s senior deputy fire chief and fire marshal.
Crews quickly knocked down the fire and doused a secondary one at a nearby shed, Blackmon said.
Then at 5:04 a.m., firefighters were sent to a single-wide mobile home ablaze at 1601 S. Sandhill Road.
More than 30 county and Las Vegas city firefighters took an offensive approach at first but soon the flames overwhelmed the structure and they had to fight in a defensive manner before knocking it down at 5:25 a.m., according to Blackmon.
No one was injured and the cause is under investigation, Blackmon said.
At 5:51 a.m., dispatchers were alerted to a house fire at 4114 Yakima Ave. about a block west of U.S. 95 near East Harmon Avenue.
The fire was centered on the second story of the home. Firefighters heard initial reports of people still inside but they found no victims during two searches, according to Blackmon.
At total of 34 firefighters took part in fighting the fire, and there were no reports of injuries, Blackmon said.
Contact Jeff Burbank at jburbank@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0382. Follow him @JeffBurbank2 on Twitter. Contact Mark Credico at mcredico@reviewjournal.com. Follow him on Instagram @writermark2.