Fourth of July weekend: County had 23 fire calls from suspected fireworks

During the period of Thursday, June 30 through Monday, July 4, Hood County officials handled 23 phone calls reporting fires suspected from fireworks, according to Fire Marshal Jeff Young.

One caller reported a fire on Massey Road, which resulted in four acres being burned. That fire is categorized as a suspected roadside start — which could be caused by a wide range of factors, including hot catalytic converters, cigarettes, and chains dragging on pavement among many other possible factors. None of the other grass fires caused significant damage. The total of 23 included calls received by the Sheriff’s Office, Granbury Police and the Fire Marshal’s Office.

One call during that time frame was called in for a boat dock fire, but the extent of that incident is not known. There were an also 24 complaint calls pertaining to fireworks during that time frame.

 “The (number of) fires we responded to this fourth of July weekend were about what I would expect on a normal fourth of July weekend,” Young told the HCN on July 8. One factor that may have helped reduce the risk was that the major fireworks vendors voluntarily limited their sales at their shops to four days, starting Friday, July 1.

Young noted that Hood County fire departments “responded quickly” to each call, limiting the damage.

“Although the fourth has come and gone, don’t let your guard down with outdoor activities,” Young said.

He noted that although the KDBI index (which indicates various levels of wildfire risk, based on known factors) is continuing to increase, two other factors make him even more nervous when it comes to fire risk. Those factors are high winds and humidity levels below 20 percent, both of which contributed to the “Big L” fire that burned more than 10,100 acres in western parts of the county, in March. Young noted that the humidity in this area has been in the mid-20s the last week or so.