Crews clean up holiday fires

A string of fires along Interstate 90 in Idaho, including several off the Veterans Memorial Bridge, was set Wednesday by a person throwing lit fireworks out the window of a vehicle. While those fires kept Idaho firefighters busy, Spokane County firefighters reported fewer fireworks-related calls than on past Independence Days.

Dozens of firefighters and a helicopter battled the blazes along the Veterans Memorial Bridge east of Coeur d’Alene. The fire closed multiple lanes of I-90 traffic.

“We have at least four confirmed – possibly up to seven – starts from someone driving eastbound on I-90 and throwing lit fireworks out of the passenger side of a vehicle,” said Mike Denney, area supervisor for the Idaho Department of Lands.

The fires began about 2 p.m. near Post Falls and continued through Cataldo, with the possibility of several others in the Silver Valley, Denney said.

Now Denney is asking anyone with information about the vehicle, its driver or any passengers to call the Idaho Department of Lands at (208) 769-1577.

“It would have been fairly obvious,” he said. “The fireworks they threw out the window emitted a lot of sparks.”

Department of Lands firefighters continued Thursday to mop up the Memorial Bridge fire, which burned 6 acres close to several buildings.

Another Fourth of July fire in North Idaho also was caused by fireworks. This one was at a Post Falls fireworks stand.

According to a release issued by Kootenai County Fire and Rescue, the fire was started when the manager of the stand at 1596 E. Seltice Way put some used fireworks in a box under the stand. There was $6,000 in damage to the stand and its contents.

A detached garage burned on Horsehaven Avenue in Post Falls, causing an estimated $100,000 in damage and lost possessions. It’s unclear what started that fire, according to Kootenai County Fire and Rescue.

Meanwhile, fire officials in Spokane County reported a relatively quiet Independence Day.

Seven fireworks-related fires were reported in the city of Spokane, with eight in Spokane County, said Spokane Fire Department Assistant Chief Brian Schaeffer.

“It was good. We didn’t have any structure fires due to fireworks,” Schaeffer said.

Spokane Valley Fire responded to three fireworks blazes on Wednesday and two more early Thursday, said public information officer Bill Clifford.

“All of them ended up being grass fires. No structures were burned,” Clifford said.

The largest fire the department responded to was 100 feet by 300 feet.

Neither Clifford nor Schaeffer reported any major fireworks-related injuries.

Both speculated that the holiday falling mid-week may have cut down on the number of problems.

That doesn’t mean folks are finished with fireworks, though. Clifford predicted some have been saved for the weekend.