Family regroups after devastating fire

-- It seemed like a good idea at the time. A small party with friends, a dip in the hot tub, an impromptu fireworks display. It ended in disaster. An intense inferno, a smoking hole in the ground and a welcome home no parent wants.

A large Bearspaw home, valued at more than $300,000, burned to the ground, the victim of a fireworks mishap that ended a going-away party and devastated a family.

The owners of the home were on vacation. Their kids, partying. They were happy to be together -- and alive.

What else can you say? You can replace this," said the mother, fighting back tears as she surveyed the remains of her family home upon her return from a vacation in Ontario.

"But you can't replace your children."   The fire began just after 10 p.m., during a quiet party for a friend heading off to university. Brother and sister invited some friends over to the house while their parents were away.

While the sister went to the store for a video, and others donned their bathing suits and headed for the hot tub, the brother decided to light some fireworks, bought just hours before from a Store for $35.

As the group looked on, a Roman candle fired two bulbs of light into the sky. It then fell over, and shot about six shots directly at the nearby house. The shots hit and ignited a discarded Christmas tree beneath the deck. Within minutes, flames ripped through the home. All 11 friends -- aged between 17 and 20 -- escaped unharmed. The glow could be seen from Airdrie, 20 kilometres away. The flames could be seen bursting from the roof almost 10 kilometres in all directions.

"They decided to fire off some fireworks. Unfortunately, the fireworks didn't work in their favour," said the fire prevention officer.  "They were behaving themselves, not being rowdy, just 11 kids sitting around having fun.

The one unfortunate thing that took place was the fireworks."    The 11 friends escaped with just their clothes, some wearing bathing  suits. Three cars were stranded in the driveway, the keys lost in the fire.

One friend managed to grab the family cat as she fled. Another friend tried his best to extinguish the flames, using a dog bowl filled with water.  The sister returned from the video store to see the house in flames, ran inside and made sure everyone had moved to safety. She returned to the house Wednesday with a friend, crying as she looked around.  "That was my bedroom," she said, wiping away tears.

Twenty-four firefighters from Airdrie, Calgary and Rocky View fought the blaze, but could do little more than stop the fire from spreading across the tinder dry acreage to nearby homes.  Hot ashes flew 100 metres; a trampoline about 30 metres from the deck was left looking like a sieve.

"When we got here, the firefighters were like 'oh geez.' "     "They realized it was lost. It was a case of protect everything else and everyone else around here."

Parents were called as their home burned to the ground.  They booked an early flight from Hamilton, Ont., returning home about   2 p.m. smoke still rising from the ruins.  Arms around daughter, they looked around in shock. "We got the call last night that our house was on fire. We made the decision to get home as early as possible."

"We are just really pleased nobody got hurt. It's an unfortunate accident . . .   this can be rebuilt."

The lighting of fireworks defied a fire ban in Rocky View. However, it is unlikely charges will be laid.  "Looking at the circumstances, I would say they have received quite a reality check," said Rocky View Fire Chief.  "We do have the ability to go ahead and prosecute, but at this stage that hasn't happened.   "It's quite a harsh lesson to learn."

 

Fireworks blamed in suburban blazes
Officials say pyrotechnics caused 28 fires within
the Tualatin Valley's district in the past two weeks

2004 -- The bottle rocket's red glare lit the suburbs this holiday weekend, but it and other fireworks triggered dozens of fires that caused thousands of dollars in property damage, fire officials said Tuesday.

The worst is probably over, but fire officials cautioned that the problem will most likely continue for the next few nights until stockpiles of fireworks run out.

The worst of the fireworks-related incidents was a two-alarm fire in Lake Oswego on Sunday that caused an estimated $300,000 damage to a home. Four firefighters were injured fighting the 8:15 p.m. blaze. Three were hospitalized overnight with neck injuries.

Fireworks caused 28 fires within the area served by Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue since stands began selling the pyrotechnics June 23, said Karen Eubanks, the fire agency's spokeswoman.

One of them, a Sunday fire at Preston Crossing Apartments, 14766 S.W. Scholls Ferry Road, caused an estimated $55,000 damage.

In that case, a man doused fireworks in water, then put them in a cardboard box that was stored in a garage. The smoldering mess re-ignited and set the garage on fire.

"Just because a certain firework is legal doesn't mean it's 100 percent safe," Eubanks said. "Most of the incidents may only result in a small loss, but the risk of an extensive loss is always there."

Eubanks said investigators estimated the total loss through Tualatin Valley Fire's service area was $100,000 to $150,000. The agency serves much of densely populated eastern Washington County from the Multnomah County line south to Clackamas County.

That estimated damage total doesn't include the Lake Oswego fire. Investigators on Tuesday remained uncertain as to what caused Sunday's fire in the 4100 block of Glacier Lily Street. But they suspected fireworks.

Elsewhere, the Hillsboro Fire Department issued more than 100 warnings to people using illegal fireworks over the weekend, department spokeswoman Connie King said.

"People were very cooperative," King said. "We only had to issue two citations."

One of those cases, King said, involved a person at the Washington County Fair Grounds who had illegal fireworks and a "bad attitude" about surrendering them.

King said the department also put out 15 grass fires that were started by holiday revelers with fireworks.

There were no reports of physical injuries, King said.

Victorville
Fireworks blamed in $20,000 Victorville fire

2004 -- Three teens who were playing with fireworks may be responsible for a fire that caused about $20,000 in damage, destroying a fifth wheel trailer and damaging two homes on Oakmont Drive in Victorville, officials said.

The teens were cited on suspicion of starting the fire in the 13700 block of Oakmont Drive at 10:49 p.m. Monday, and they were released to their parents, said an investigator at the Victorville Fire Department.

"One (of the fireworks) got away from them, and flew into a bush," investigator said. The teens reportedly tried to put out the fire, but the brush-fueled blaze grew quickly, he said.

No one was injured in the fire, although it caused smoke damage to a home and also damaged a vehicle that was parked next door, nvestigator said.

The fire was one of several in the Victor Valley that investigators suspect may have been started by teens with fireworks. All types of fireworks are illegal in the Victor Valley, except in Adelanto.

"There were more this year than in previous years," investigator said.

Fireworks were also suspected in a 20-acre vegetation fire in the Mojave River area of Victorville about 3:30 p.m. on Monday. Investigators talked with five children about the fire's cause, as witnesses saw two or three teens near the scene when it began, officials said.

Three teens on bicycles were seen leaving the area of a fire that burned four acres on a grassy hillside on the Hesperia Mesa, between Bangor and Danbury avenues, near I Avenue, at 3:12 p.m. on Friday.

There were no injuries or structures lost in either the riverbed fire or the Hesperia fire.

Fires, injuries reported in Johannesburg

2004 -- Three incidents of fire and a number of injuries were reported in Johannesburg on New Year's Eve, the Johannesburg emergency services said last night. In one incident near Roodepoort, a house went ablaze when a thatched roof caught fire from fireworks released by New Year's revellers.

Meanwhile, the emergency service team at the Malvern fire station was treating 20 patients who were injured in a number of different assaults.

 

 

Ohio
Fireworks ignite fires in five homes

-- Illegal fireworks caused a fire that destroyed two homes, damaged three others and burned four garages to the ground, fire officials said.

“It's the worst residential fire I've ever been to,” said Ron Fleming, district chief for the Dayton Fire Department. “To have nine structures burning at the same time, that's a first for me and I've been here 28 years.”

No one was injured in the homes. One firefighter was treated at a hospital for heat exhaustion, Chief Fleming said.    Fire investigator Scott Bennett said the department questioned three males ages 12 to 15. None was arrested

 

Firework found near fire

Winds possibly as high as 50 mph fanned a furious grass fire Tuesday that sped across several miles of grassland in northeastern Randall County. Officials consider the blaze an arson.   Investigators found the remains of a firework where the grass fire started, said the Randall County Sheriff's Office.  He said the firework had been set off recently.   The grass fire started in a field. Flames then roared east.  The advance stopped when the fire reached a winter wheat field and ran out of fuel.  The fire was only about 300 to 400 yards wide but traveled about three miles before petering out. It burned only grass and some fence posts, he said.

 

Alaska
Rangers use Firecracker
2 Scare Moose, Burn Forest

A wildfire burning in Alaska's interior was ignited by state biologists using firecrackers to ward off an aggressive cow moose, officials said on Tuesday.   The 92,000-acre wildfire, burning spruce forest south of McGrath, was inadvertently started during a field study into elevated calf mortality.   The firecracker shells were being used to protect a staff member from an approaching moose, said a biologist.   "One of the staff members on the ground saw the firecracker go off, saw some flames, ran over to try to put it out," he said. "By the time the staff member got there, it was beyond what he could put out, and then it ran up a spruce tree. And then once it was up a spruce tree, there was nothing he could do." State biologists have long used firecrackers to deal with aggressive moose and bears, such as animals entering schoolyards. This was the first time they know of that one of the devices has started a fire, he said.   "It just wasn't real high on the radar screen," she said. "Certainly, we're a lot more careful now, because now we know."  No structures were burned or damaged by the McGrath-area fire, and no injuries were reported, officials said.   he said the biologist concerned had been in danger of serious injury from the angered moose. "From our perspective, we don't think our staff did anything wrong," she said.

 

School damaged by fireworks

-- A fire started by fireworks early today caused $225,000 damage at a Hilltop Elementary School, authorities said.

The fire destroyed roofing material stored in a covered play area but did not spread to the main part of the school.

Four teenagers who had been setting off fireworks on the school grounds reported the fire at about 1 a.m. today.  The four -- ages 16 to 19 -- were questioned and are believed to be responsible for starting the fire.   Plywood, tar and insulation were destroyed along with the play structure. No one was injured.

-- Firefighters were called to the scene where the garage was engulfed in flames behind a residence. The fire department attributed the blaze to possible fireworks misuse.  Two grass fires were also attributed to fireworks.  Each fire consumed about a half acre of grass.  Since June 29, when some of the first fireworks stands opened for business, the hospital has treated a total of 10 patients for fireworks injuries, all of which were minor.

 

-- In Auburn, a blaze engulfed a fireworks stand, forcing crews battling the flames to duck and weave as they worked.   The fire appeared to have been deliberately set and was under investigation.  The call was the 11th fireworks-related call the department had received since early June. The others involved brushfires, reports of explosions, a fire at a portable toilet and another in a garbage can.

-- Police and firefighters responded to dozens of complaints about fireworks being set off inside the city limits on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. One police officer trying to put out burning fireworks was injured when the fireworks blew up in his face early Saturday morning.   The Officer could not see immediately after the explosion, but he regained his vision later. He may have suffered damage to his cornea.    Even before the officer was injured, police responded three times to the location due to complaints about fireworks.   "It is very dangerous to use fireworks, especially among young people. They can certainly cause permanent injury to an individual. People don't realize they're dealing with explosives. That's what they are. . . . People can celebrate, and that's fine. But they need to realize it's very dangerous to handle fireworks."   The person who set off the fireworks that injured the officer might be charged with reckless conduct with a maximum punishment of a year in jail and a $4,000 fine.   From 8 p.m. Friday to 6 a.m. Saturday, firefighters responded to about 90 incidents - more than usual for a 10-hour time period, and many of the calls were fireworks related.    In one case fireworks set a roof ablaze, but the structure was not destroyed, and no one was injured.

KANSAS CITY, Missouri - Fireworks hidden in a Kansas City man's oven turned out to be a recipe for disaster when the man blew up his oven during dinner preparations. According to Kansas City Assistant Fire Marshall, the explosion occurred early on the morning of the Fourth of July at the home of a 28-year-old man who had spent the night celebrating with friends. The group, "who had been drinking heavily," were shooting fireworks off for several hours on Tuesday night at the Northland area home. Neighbors became annoyed with the noise and called the police. When they arrived someone in the group stashed the fireworks in the oven, but neglected to inform the homeowner that they were there. Later, when he turned on the oven to bake lasagna at 3 a.m., the kitchen was blown to smithereens. Flying glass had caused some injuries, but otherwise no one was hurt.

Illegal discharge of fireworks ignites fire near
law enforcement center

While setting off fireworks near the railroad tracks south of the Law Enforcement Center the children started a small grass fire shortly after 8 p.m.  One of the kids ran to the Law Enforcement Center to report the fire and with that quick report, the fire was contained to an approximate 40-foot circle, said Fire Department officials.   Last year there were 11 serious injuries caused by fireworks, while four years ago a 27-year-old was killed when a firecracker exploded in his hand.   This year's serious injury happened when a teenager lost his thumb and part of the index finger when a firecracker exploded in his left  hand.

 

The City Fire Department responded to the High School Farm to extinguish a wheat stubble fire.   Buildings and livestock, kept at the farm, were threatened by the fast approaching flames. Fire personnel were able to keep the flames away from the structures and pens where several animals were being housed.  Several cedar trees that were planted by students for a wind break were destroyed along with the wheat stubble.  Careless use of roman candle fireworks by young adolescents was the cause of the fire.

-- Sparks from fireworks got into the rafters of a garage where some old mattresses were being stored. The sparks ignited causing damage to the garage roof. The fire was discovered at 11:30 pm by friends at the house.

-- Columbus firefighters responded to report of a partly hollow tree on fire in the yard of a residence.   While no cause for the fire was determined, nothing was being burned in the immediate area, making fireworks a likely suspect.

 

Bad year for fireworks

-- A man lit an aerial fireworks mortar late Tuesday and threw it outside his west Wichita apartment, police say, setting bushes on fire, melting some nearby window blinds and damaging two parked cars.   Police and firefighters seized more mortars from the man's home, dumping the explosives at Wichita Fire Station N 1 in a still-growing pile of confiscated holiday fireworks.    Today, the Wichita bomb squad begins disposing of the rockets, mortars and other fireworks seized in the city since late June.   "We got about the same amount as last year, but the fireworks themselves are bigger," the Fire Marshall said. "More people are shooting off the big stuff."   Last year, firefighters collected only a handful of the 3-inch mortars used in commercial fireworks shows, he said. This year they have close to 80.   One reason for that, he said, is that investigators caught a man whom they suspect has been illegally selling commercial fireworks out of a truck.   A tipster alerted them to his whereabouts,  A lot of the mortars were his.   For the most part, the holiday went as it did in years past, he said.   Area hospitals have treated 41 people with fireworks-related injuries, down from the 43 treated in 2000 and 2001.   Most of the injuries were minor and to the hands and eyes,   One man hurt his leg while climbing a tree to retrieve a rocket parachute.  "And, as usual, a lot of them were caused by people having something explode in their hand," he said.    Ten citations for illegal fireworks were written this year, up from the three written last year.   More people were using fireworks dangerously this year, he said, and many more were belligerent toward firefighters trying to confiscate the illegal ones.   Ten of the 12 fireworks-related fires were grass fires, he said. The biggest loss was the $200,000 damage done to a Salvation Army thrift store after bottle rockets set the roof on fire.   Fire investigators are still searching for those culprits.   "For the most part, it's a fun holiday."   "It's the people who act recklessly that give us the problems."

 

Fireworks Spark Omaha Blaze

2003 -- Fireworks gone astray lit up a southwest Omaha home Tuesday afternoon.    A passerby saw the home in flames and called 911. A teenager apparently was lighting fireworks in a plastic trash bin outside the home. When he left, the flames licked up the chimney and onto the roof.     Fire investigators said the teen was vague about exactly what kind of fireworks he had been using. Officials warn that lighting fireworks in a trash can is dangerous.    "When somebody lights them inside a container where you have other combustibles, it's like throwing a match in there it's a recipe for disaster," said an Omaha fire investigator.

Fireworks Wildfires -- Reservations burn

2003 -- Two of the biggest wildfires raging in Washington state are on Indian reservations, apparently started by bottle rockets. Now, the tribes are thinking it might be time to forsake their traditional business of selling fireworks.

Fireworks bans and restrictions by communities have succeeded in reducing fires, state authorities said, a fact not lost on officials of the Colville and Spokane Indian Reservations. In the city of Spokane, for instance, fireworks-related blazes dropped from 1,043 in the 10 years before a ban was instituted in 1993, to 47 in the 10 years since.

On the Colville reservation, in a remote location, 10,600 acres have already burned -- including 10 outbuildings and one summer home -- and the fire was only 50 percent contained as of late Wednesday.

The wildfire on the nearby Spokane reservation was declared contained late Wednesday but not before consuming 1,300 acres.

Authorities say both wildfires were set on the July 4 holiday by fireworks launched toward shore from boats, although the Colville fire is still officially under investigation.

 

House damaged by firework

2003 -- A house in Barnsley has been badly damaged by a firework in what police described as a "dangerous and irresponsible act".

A brick was used to break a window at the house in Day Street at about 0330 GMT on Wednesday and the firework thrown in.

The explosion caused serious damage to the ground floor of the house, with plaster brought down from the ceilings, the back door blown out and the television destroyed.

A couple and their daughter were asleep upstairs at the time.

Police say they have had reports that someone was seen running away from the property.

Inspector said the firework appeared to have been of the same type recently used to damage phone boxes in the area.

"If anyone had been in the room at the time it could have caused a serious injury," he said.

"This was dangerous and an irresponsible act

 

-- Las Vegas, Nev. 1984. A pre-teen boy caused $30,000 damage to a home by firing rockets inside the house, setting the drapes on fire. A spokesman said the youth would not be charged, but the boy would receive counseling.

-- A man's house was destroyed when it caught fire from two boys playing with fireworks.  One of the boys, age 15, bought the fireworks.   Police say the boys were shooting the fireworks at each other on June 30th when one of the fireballs hit a car parked behind the house.  Police say the fireball set the car on fire and sent flames up the side of the house.