SPOKANE COUNTY, Wash. — The warning is out there this Fourth of July: if you light it, it's illegal in most of Spokane County.
Nearly all consumer fireworks, including sparklers and firecrackers, are included under a ban that extends across most of the county. That ban has been in place for 31 years now, and fire agencies say it's worked.
In a joint release, those agencies say an estimated 2,700 fires have been prevented because of the law.
Still, fire crews are ready for a busy holiday, including in Spokane County's Fire District 3, where crews have already responded to three brush fires in the weekend before the 4th.
“Yes, busy weekend," said Chief Cody Rohrbach. “We staff up so we put on additional staffing with the fourth. Not specific just to fireworks, but with increased celebrations, recreation we’ll see an increase in call volume.”
Chief Rohrbach remembers the days before the county's near-total ban.
“We typically saw a big increase in the number of fire starts around the Fourth of July, of course many of those related to fireworks," he said. "The ban has been effective in reducing the number of starts, particularly in the unimproved properties, the areas outside the cities.”
In the busiest days of the Fourth of July (June 28 to July 6), firefighters responded to an average 104 fires caused by fireworks before the ban.
Since it was enacted, the average dropped dramatically to five.
Rohrbach says 90% of the fires they still see, especially in unincorporated areas, are human-caused. With hot, dry, windy conditions Monday, his crews were prepared for more.
"A lot of our crews have been going really hard now for over 48 hours," he said.
They'll be ready, though they hope you'll help them out.
“Be careful with anything that may emit a spark in these conditions, that includes fireworks," he said.
There's another incentive to leave the fireworks to the professionals: a minimum fine of $536 for each violation of possessing illegal fireworks. You could also have to pay for any damages or the cost of a fire department response.
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