2024 Walla Walla July 4 Fires Down Significantly From 2023
The City of Walla Walla reported a lot less fire activity on the July 4 holiday, than in 2023.
Crews responded to 7 incidents
According to Communications Manger Brendan Koch, this year WWFD crews responded to 7 incidents for fireworks-related, or believed to be firework-related blazes.
Most of them were relatively small, several involved fires in garbage cans or dumpsters, in which fireworks debris were found. The largest expenditure of water by crews was a tree that was on fire at 1965 Walla Walla Ave. Prior to fire crews arriving, a Walla Walla PD Officer was on site, and had used an extinguisher to put out most of the blaze. WWFD crews dumped about 300 gallons of water onto it to make sure it was out.
One fire involved neighbors saving another person's yard at 757 Lewis St. Around 12:14 AM on July 5th, fire crews arrived to find the next-door neighbor using a garden hose to put out a fire next door. The neighbors said they believed fireworks set the dry grass and yard on fire, but crews did not find any fireworks debris.
According to data supplied by the city, the 7 fireworks-related calls were a lot less than in 2023, when the WWFD responded to a total of 25. In 2022, there were five, in 2021, and 2020, there were 12.
The 25 fires in 2023 were the most responded to by the WWFD related to the July 4 holiday in 24 years, dating back to the year 2000.
This year, the estimated dollar loss from the fire damage was $225, last year it was over $187K.
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Gallery Credit: Andrew Lisa