Despite City Ban, Fires Ignited by Fireworks Are Back on the Rise

So much for the fireworks ban.

Portland Fire & Rescue says fireworks ignited 46 fires on and around the Fourth of July last year, compared to just 10 in 2022 and 15 in 2021.

The city of Portland passed an ordinance in 2022 banning amateur fireworks, which resulted in a drop in firework-related fires in 2022. But that didn’t last long.

In fact, the number of blazes caused by fireworks last year was higher than the 44 in 2020 or the 36 in 2019, before the ban.

PF&R spokesman Rick Graves says the fire bureau has identified no specific reason for the increase.

Graves suggested that Portlanders go to the city’s professional fireworks show which will happen on the east side of the river near the Hawthorne Bridge, starting at 10 pm Thursday, July 4. “We’re busy as it is,” Graves said at a Monday press conference. “We don’t need any help from fireworks like small cones that you can set off on your street.”

The bureau did not immediately provide statistics on the number of citations it issued last year, or injuries from fireworks. WW has requested those numbers.

PF&R senior fire investigator Jason Andersen announced that the bureau will increase the number of fire investigators on shift this July 4, just as it has in the past, with the goal of investigating all fireworks-related fires and taking “necessary enforcement action.”

Portland’s Bureau of Emergency Communications asked that citizens call 911 only for emergency situations and not for noise complaints, adding that on a busy day 911 hotlines can get up to 200 calls an hour and twice that number on the Fourth of July.

“We are asking for your help to keep call takers available by using good judgment on when to call,” BOEC spokesperson Jaymee Cuti said.