Fireworks damage mounts after latest fire
Published 10:54 pm Thursday, July 30, 2009
LYNNWOOD — The cost of damage in Snohomish County blamed on fireworks this year currently hovers just under $5 million.
A two-alarm fire that destroyed one home and damaged two more in a new development near Lynnwood on Wednesday pushed the damage tally up by nearly $500,000, and renewed calls for a countywide fireworks ban.
“Almost every Fourth of July, I spend the evening with a family that’s losing their home as a result of fireworks,” Fire District 1 spokeswoman Leslie Hynes said. “We stand there and watch their house burn, and in all the cases I can think of, the homeowners weren’t the ones using the fireworks.”
Commissioners for Fire District 1 last week voted unanimously to ask the Snohomish County Council to ban all use of consumer-grade fireworks in the county’s unincorporated areas. Each city and town handles its own fireworks regulations.
The cost of damage caused by fireworks around the county could still grow, county Fire Marshal Mike McCrary said.
“We’re still gathering data,” McCrary said. “There have been a lot of smaller incidences, and we’re still looking at everything.”
People called 911 around 11:20 p.m. to report Wednesday’s blaze, which occurred in the 4200 block of 144th Street SW, Hynes said.
The blaze was just a few blocks from the Lake Serene Fire Station, she said.
When crews arrived, one house already was engulfed in flames and the blaze was spreading to neighboring homes. Both homes were under construction and no one was living there.
A third home that was damaged was occupied by a woman and her young daughter. Both escaped unharmed, Hynes said.
A Mukilteo police officer was the first to arrive on the scene of Wednesday’s blaze. The officer rushed to evacuate threatened homes and helped two children to safety before he was taken to the hospital and treated for smoke inhalation.
The Mukilteo police officer, who has been with the force for two years, was in the area doing investigative work when he spotted the blaze, Mukilteo police spokesman Cheol Kang said.
“He saw the house that was engulfed in fire,” Kang said. The officer went door-to-door making sure everyone got out. He carried children out of one home, as the parent was busy helping others.
Firefighters from districts 1 and 7 and Lynnwood, Edmonds and Mukilteo battled the blaze. The Mukilteo officer was the only reported injury.
Snohomish County fire marshal’s investigators determined fireworks likely sparked Wednesday’s fire, Hynes said.
Damage estimates are about $475,000, said Bruce Pulver, a Snohomish County fire marshal’s investigator. He said several witnesses reported hearing firecrackers, bottle rockets and one large boom.
Jackson Holtz: 425-339-3437, jholtz@heraldnet.com.
